Shooting Rainbows
by LittleSinner
Summary: AU. Rated M for adult themes. Oliver's roommate left him no choice but to move out. In the search for a new place to live, he finds Lilly, who is looking for a new roommate for her apartment, as well. The situation seems to work for the both of them, until Oliver finds out Lilly thinks he's gay. Realizing this is the only way he's going to get to move in, he decides not to deny it.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hannah Montana.

–––

**A/N:** This is a un-beta'd story. Sorry if there are any mistakes, I do try my best. Hope you like it and if you do, please leave a review. :)

**Summary: **_Rated: M for adult themes._ Oliver's roommate left him no choice but to move out. In the search for a new place to live, he finds Lilly, who is looking for a new roommate for her apartment, as well. The situation seems to work for the both of them, until Oliver finds out Lilly thinks he's gay. Realizing this is the only way he's going to get to move in, he decides not to deny it.

–––

**Shooting Rainbows**

–––

**Chapter 1:**

The contents of the washing machine spilled out in one big pile of pink mess.

"What the f...?" Oliver blurted at the sight.

Every garment including shirts, socks and underwear were now the same shade of sickeningly baby pink. It looked like a bunch of nurses from the ninety-fifties were murdered right into his laundry basket and on the top stood the assassin: a thick red sweater his mum got him last Christmas.

With a shocked yet confused look on his face, he picked up the basket and marched over to his roommate's room.

Loud music filled the apartment, that is, if anyone could even call that noise music. It was just ear-piercing screams over out of tune, pitch electric guitar.

Oliver banged hard on his roommate's door with his elbow while still holding onto the basket. "Alex!" he yelled loud enough for him to be heard over the loud music.

The noise didn't cease, but Alex's shaggy face appeared in the doorway after a minute. His face was covered in thick brown beard, his hair, the same color, made him look like a hippie. His eyes looked glassy and had dark circles under them. It looked as though he was stoned or hasn't slept in a few days. Oliver knew from experience that it was the first. The funky smell and fumes of smoke that swirled out through the open door only confirmed it.

"'Sup?" he asked casually, nodding his head once in greeting.

Oliver shook his head at him. "What's this?" he showed him the laundry basket in his hands.

"Uh... clothes?" Alex answered, scratching his head in thought.

"Are those _my_ clothes?"

"Oh yeah, I did do your laundry."

Oliver was now fuming. His roommate's indifference was getting on his nerves. "Why were you in my room, picking up my clothes? Why were you doing my laundry? And why the hell everything is pink?"

"Uh..." Alex said again, sounding unsure. He looked up at Oliver as though he would give him the answer.

"ALEX!" Oliver barked.

"Look, man, I'm sorry. I was trying to be a good roommate and do a nice thing. Is that the thank-you I get?"

"You want me to thank you for making my clothes look like Barbie's wardrobe?!" Oliver screamed. Alex genuinely looked as if he didn't know what he did wrong. Oliver groaned with frustration, grabbed the basket and walked away. "That's it! I'm done!"

–––

"I don't understand one thing. Why did _you_ move out?" Jake asked Oliver as he helped him unload some of the boxes from Oliver's car. "You were living there first."

Oliver grabbed a box labeled with _'not pink clothes'_ and sighed. "I know, but the place is a total wreck now. It looks like a Meth lab and stinks with pot smoke and like something died in there. I had to get out of there before the police showed up."

They walked up the stairs in Jake's building and entered his apartment. It was now Oliver's temporary refuge. "Yeah, well, don't get too accustomed to my couch," Jake said and put down a box on the floor. "But this would be your home as long as you need it."

Oliver chuckled and slumped down on the leather couch. "Thanks, man. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. And don't worry, I'll be out of your way in no time. As soon as I get my own place, this would be your bachelor pad once again."

Jake went to the kitchen and returned to sit next to Oliver. He handed him a cold beer as he turned on his wide screen TV.

Oliver noticed the silly grin on his friend's face.

"You did it on this couch, didn't you?" Oliver asked flatly, realizing at once what the hidden meaning behind Jake's smile was.

Jake threw his head back and chuckled. "Like a zillion times."

Oliver jumped up on his feet and took a step away from the couch. "Okay... I will need sheets to sleep on. Clean ones."

–––

On the crack of dawn Oliver woke up. He didn't really fall asleep during the night and he felt like he couldn't lie on Jake's couch any longer. His back and neck were stiff and sore, and he knew that if he stayed one more night sleeping on it, he'd turn completely immobile the very next day. He would have to find a new place as soon as possible, and if he couldn't, he wouldn't have the choice but to move back to his parents' house in the meanwhile, which was something he really didn't want to do.

Oliver decided to go out to get coffee and the morning's paper on the way.

The ads on the paper didn't seem to his liking. Of course he couldn't complain or be too picky because he basically had nothing, but when someone posts an ad like: _'Male roommate wanted for 1 bedroom apt. No windows. Shared bed. Very friendly guy with snake,'_ you've got to cross it in bold red marker and keep looking.

"Argh!" Oliver groaned in frustration and banged his head on Jake's kitchen bar counter.

"Still nothing?" Jake asked.

Oliver made a low growl that obviously meant 'no.'

"Did you try Craigslist?" he asked while sipping on the coffee Oliver got for him. It was a small thank-you gesture for letting him crash on his couch. That's the least he could have done.

"Oh yeah. Want to hear what I found on there?" Oliver asked with an obvious fake cheery tone. He opened his laptop and started to read from the screen. "_'Great place. 2 bedrooms. 1 bathroom. 690$. Neighbors loud while having sex.'_"

Jake furrowed his brows. "Well, that can be tolerable... once you get used to it."

Oliver arched his eyebrow at him. "Oh wait, there's more. Someone here posted a quiz of 100 questions to find a matching roommate. I cannot apply until I answer them all. Another one was looking for someone who owns a car so they could drive them around."

Jake laughed at that. "Okay, now you're just making things up!" Oliver shot him an annoyed look. Jake hid his grin behind his coffee. "Okay, maybe you don't... But hey, it's not _that_ bad."

Oliver shook his head. "I'm never going to find anything." He sighed and buried his face in his hands.

"Don't rush it, you know you can stay here in the meanwhile," Jake said sympathetically.

Oliver was very thankful for having Jake as his best friend. He knew he can always count on him. He was aware that if Jake had the room, he would have asked him to stay there permanently as his own roommate, but Oliver was familiar with Jake's lifestyle and didn't want to interrupt him.

"That's exactly the thing," Oliver said gloomily. "I really appreciate that you took me in, Jake, but your couch killed my back last night. I don't think I can take another night on it."

Jake rolled his eyes. "None of the ladies I brought over ever complained," he said while clicking his tongue and winking.

Oliver shot him a glare. "Maybe you slept on it, but you didn't actually _sleep_ on it."

Jake chose to ignore his friend's comment. "Well, tell me what exactly you are looking for?"

"I don't know. Everything that I'm looking for seems way out of my budget. I guess I will have to live with another roommate."

"Okay, so let's write this down," Jake suggested. He took a notepad and a pen and started writing. "Roommate."

"Clean roommate," Oliver corrected. Jake wrote it down. "Someone who knows how to do laundry. Separate bedrooms. Convenient rent. Parking space. Good location could be awesome, you know, somewhere in the center of the city and close to work, but it's not a must."

"A roommate who can cook is a plus," Jake said, Oliver nodded and Jake added it on the paper. "Also should be fine with you bringing guests over," he said as he pointed at himself. Oliver nodded again.

"A friendly person. I don't want it to be awkward when we only see each other occasionally in the hallway. Someone around my age so we'll have mutual things to talk about."

"Is that all?" Jake asked when Oliver stopped talking. Oliver didn't notice his raised brow.

"I think so," Oliver said, trying to think of anything else, but nothing came to his mind.

"So you're basically looking to live with a girl," Jake concluded after reading the full list.

"What are you talking about?"

"Read this yourself," Jake said and shove the notepad over to Oliver. Oliver read the entire list and realized that Jake might be right. He thought he was describing someone he wanted to live with, or rather someone who was exactly like him, but apparently his requirements in a roommate happened to describe a person of the opposite sex.

He sighed. "Great. How can I find a female roommate? No one will want to live with me. Girls prefer living with other girls."

"You know, you could always get a girlfriend..." Jake noted with a mischievous smirk.

Oliver shot him a glare. "I prefer looking for an apartment first. It'd be much faster..." he added the last words in a mumble.

"Okay, okay, don't get too excited, but I might know someone who can be a match to everything you're looking for."

Oliver looked up. "Really? Who?"

"She's a friend of an ex-girlfriend. I ran into them a few nights ago and heard she is looking for a roommate."

"And what does her place look like?" Oliver asked with an arched eyebrow.

Jake started thinking. "I've only been there once during a party and it was rather dark, and I was a little drunk, but from what I can recall, it's a very nice place."

Oliver's desperation hit a new level. He could no longer control it. He got up and grabbed Jake's arms in his hands, shaking him hard. "Jake, you've got to take me there! I've got to see this place."

"Hold on, don't get your pink undies tied in a knot," Jake said, forcibly freeing himself out of Oliver's grasp. Oliver rolled his eyes at the 'pink' remark. "Let me make a call first and check."

He dialed a number on his phone and walked over to the other room where Oliver couldn't hear him. It took a few minutes before he came back. He had a smile on his face when he did. "You're in luck. She hasn't found anyone suitable yet. I told her about you and she agreed to show you the apartment. She's working later, so she asked to meet you now. So go get dressed, we're leaving in ten."

Oliver smiled brightly at his friend, this time holding himself back from giving him a great hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

He ran over to his boxes of clothes, but couldn't find anything casual enough that wasn't pink. Everything else was work clothes and he felt uncomfortable in a button-down and tie when he was not working. He growled angrily. "Fuck Alex!"

"Just put something on, she wouldn't care. Remember: real men wear pink!" Jake encouraged, holding his fist high.

Oliver looked with a sad look over his pink filled boxes and pouted. "Guess I don't have much choice, do I?"

–––

**A/N: **I've actually been working on several Loliver stories at the moment and this just popped into my head suddenly, out of the blue, unplanned, while I was trying to get a nap (the best plots come to me that way, so it seems), and the plot just rolled on its own so I just went with it. It does have a small reminder of a part that was in my previous story _The Joys and Pains of Camping with an Oken_, but it's completely different story. More Mature. Please note it is rated M for adult themes.  
I hope you enjoyed. This story should be fun as far as I expect it to be. Let me know what you think, okay? I will post the next chapters when I get reviews. Review area is right below ;)


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hannah Montana.

–––

**A/N:** Thanks for those who read and reviewed. Here's the second chapter. Hope you enjoy it! :)

–––

**Shooting Rainbows**

–––

**Chapter 2:**

Oliver bounced lightly on his feet while waiting for the elevator to arrive. He felt a bit nervous because so far, from what he was able to see, the building was amazing. It even had a private doorman. He sure never lived in a building like this before. He was beginning to worry the rent there is going to be sky high and he would have to look for something else.

"Will you stop it already?" Jake hissed at him, glancing sideways and noting the doorman was giving them suspicious looks.

Oliver stopped moving and wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve. "Sorry. Just nervous."

"Of what?"

The elevator arrived with a clear _ding_ chime. The door opened and the two entered. Jake pressed the button with the number '4' and the door closed with another _ding_.

"Not sure. I just don't want to be disappointed, I guess."

"You won't be. She's a lovely girl with a killer apartment."

Oliver gave him a shifty look. "You dated her."

Jake fought a smile. "I did not date her."

"Really? Why not? Is she ugly?"

_Ding_, the elevator ringed again. The doors opened on the fourth floor and Jake and Oliver walked out. "This way," Jake said while turning left and Oliver followed.

"Saved by the bell," Oliver muttered and Jake chuckled, ignoring the comment and Oliver's earlier question.

They stopped in front a white door. The brass number on it read '4-E'. "We're here," Jake announced and raised his hand to knock on the door.

"Jake, wait," Oliver said nervously. "What if she doesn't like me?"

"Oliver, enough with all of the questions, okay? You're looking for an apartment, not for a bride," Jake said in a tired voice and without waiting for Oliver to respond, he knocked on the door quickly.

"Just a minute," a woman's voice called through the door. Oliver felt himself beginning to sweat again. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and gulped hard.

The door opened by a young woman. Her hair was dirty blonde and held up in a messy bun. She wore black plastic frame glasses on her face, old blue tank top and grey sweatpants. She smiled at them and gestured them to come in with her hand while she was talking on the phone.

Oliver and Jake walked in. The girl closed the door behind them. She covered the phone with her hand and slightly held it away from her face. "Please sit down, I'll be right with you," she whispered. She turned around and left the room.

Oliver looked around the apartment. At first glance it looked light and cozy. It was well furnished and had a very homey feeling to it.

The front door opened straight into the living room. The white walls in the apartment gave the impression it was more open spaced than it was in reality. There was a large window to the left, almost wall-to-wall. A sheer peach color, floor-to-ceiling curtain hung over it, not making any effort in preventing light from streaming into the apartment. Behind it was a narrow window seat that was decorated with all sorts of candles that were clearly there only for decoration, not to actually be lit. In the middle of the room was a mahogany coffee table that sat on a shaggy white rug. An olive-green fabric sofa stood in front of the table and straight across a large screen TV that was sitting on a matching mahogany TV unit.

"This place looks really nice," Oliver marveled as he sat down on the sofa and took a look at the rest of the room. He noted a cozy armchair in the other corner; a small round table, a full bookcase and a tall floor lamp all stood next to it. He admired how spotless and organized the apartment was. He never lived in a place so neat and tidy before. "It looks as if someone ripped it out from the IKEA catalog."

"Cool, huh?" Jake said. He was still standing up and was looking around the room as well. Oliver nodded, still a bit amazed. So far he really liked the apartment and he couldn't wait to see the rest of the place.

"Sorry about that. That was work stuff," said the girl as she returned to the living room from the kitchen. She held a coke bottle and two glasses in her hands, set them on the table and straightened up. "Hi Jake, nice to see you again," she said, looking at Jake, who was trying to get a glimpse at the side hallway, where obviously the bedrooms were. "Miley isn't here," she added and he immediately turned to her with a sheepish look.

"I... I know. I wasn't looking for her," he disregarded, his voice turning suddenly rough.

"Huh-huh," said the girl, her tone obviously indicating her disbelief. "She's seeing someone new now, you know," the blonde girl said. She watched Jake's face closely and so did Oliver. He noted a slight change in his friend's features when she said the last sentence.

"I heard," Jake said shortly, through clenched teeth. He looked as if it pained him to hear that.

"Who's Miley?" Oliver asked Jake, but Jake waved him off.

Jake clapped his hands loudly. "Anyways, we're here for..." he said, pointing over to Oliver and changing the subject.

"Right," the girl said. She turned around to face Oliver and extended her hand. "Sorry, it's so rude of me. I'm Lilly."

"Oliver." Oliver shook her hand lightly and she smiled. "I'm the homeless one," he said lightheartedly.

"Nice to meet you. You don't look homeless, if I might say."

"Yeah, well I am for the past two days. Had nowhere else to go, so Jake took me in, but his couch hates me, so here I am, looking for a new place to live in," Oliver replied. Lilly smiled and nodded.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but I have to ask every applicant. After all, if we're going to live together, then I must know a few things." Oliver nodded and gave her permission. "You lived with a roommate before?"

"Yes. Alex. We stopped getting along and I just couldn't live with him anymore. I should say that it wasn't my fault."

"Okay," Lilly said. "So it's important to me that you realize that I'm not just letting you rent a room. We are equally sharing the apartment and everything that's in it. We share bills, food, grocery money, usage of kitchen, bathroom, living room, everything. What's mine is yours."

"Yes, of course I understand. This is exactly what I'm looking for as well. Getting along with your roommate is rule number one. I mean, if we don't get along, how could we live together?"

Lilly smiled again. "Exactly."

"Lilly, I can guarantee you that you would not find anyone else more suitable than Oliver," Jake jumped into the conversation. "He's a great person. We've been friends since college and you will be lucky to having picked him as your roommate. You will not regret it."

"It's true," Oliver said. "I'm very tidy, I'm not loud, I always pay my bills on time, I have a steady job, and I will always check with you if it's okay to invite friends over."

"Really?" Lilly asked, raising an eyebrow in amazement. Jake and Oliver both nodded. "Why living with a girl, though?"

Oliver sat back in his seat and folded his arms over his chest. "Other guys are pigs. I'm looking for a change, someone who is a bit more like me."

"What do you do for a living?"

"I actually work for a fashion company. Something I'd never thought I'd be doing a few years ago, but it gets me by."

Lilly nodded in understanding. "As long as you get a paycheck in the end of each month."

"Exactly," Oliver said. "I only hope it will be enough to cover the rent."

Lilly let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, so sure I approved of you?"

Oliver smirked and it was his turn now to raise an eyebrow. "I don't know. You tell me."

Lilly's mouth opened slightly and it looked for a moment as if she couldn't think of anything else to say. "Well..." she faltered. After a few seconds of hesitation, she finally asked, "Don't you want to see the rest of the place first?"

"Of course," Oliver said. He and Jake got up and followed Lilly around. She first showed them the kitchen. It was well organized and equipped. A small dining table was pressed to the wall and had four chairs around it. Everything fit together. It made Oliver wonder how she could afford all of this in the first place.

"Do you own this place?" he asked.

Lilly sighed. "No. I wish. It's rented. And now that my old roommate moved out, it's either I find someone else, or go back living with the folks. I can't afford it all on my own."

Oliver knew what she meant. He was in a similar position as well. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a personal assistant of a known figure."

Oliver was surprised. Is that how Jake knew her? "Really? Who?"

"That's not very important right now," she said quickly.

"Yeah..." Jake added quietly. Oliver turned around to look at him at that, but Jake avoided his gaze. Oliver wondered why Jake was acting weird all of the sudden. There was obviously something he wasn't telling him.

"Let me show you the other rooms," Lilly said and led them over to the side hallway. It had three doors. A bedroom on each side and the middle door was to the bathroom. They entered it first. It was smaller than what Oliver had expected. It had a shower instead of a tub, but it didn't bother him. He wasn't a person to take baths anyway. On the right side of the hallway was what Lilly introduced as her room. The door to it was kept closed and Lilly preferred to skip on it, Oliver's guessed she wants to keep her privacy. Then she led them across the hallway. "This is your room."

"M-my room?" Oliver stuttered in surprise. "You-you mean...?"

Lilly smiled sweetly. "I'll go get the lease papers."

She left the two boys in front of the door to the vacant room. Oliver smiled brightly at Jake and he clapped his back happily. They walked into the empty room to take a look. Oliver didn't know what to expect, it was only a room. It wasn't large nor was it small, just the perfect size to fit a double bed with two bedside tables and even a desk if he needed. It already held a closet, big enough to contain all his clothes and still have a lot of room left afterwards. The window blinds were open and Oliver could see a view of the street blow.

Lilly returned with the papers. She stood in the doorway and watched Oliver and Jake examine the room. "So? What do you think? Ready to sign?"

"It's perfect. Exactly what I was looking for," Oliver said and turned around to face her. "Do I get my own parking space?"

Lilly nodded. "Lucky for you, you do. I don't have a car of my own, so you can have it. You just need to notify the landlord that you need to use it from now on."

"Great! Where do I sign?"

Jake suddenly cleared his throat loudly. Oliver turned around to him. "Oliver, aren't you forgetting something?"

Oliver gave him a puzzled look. When he didn't figure it out, Jake made a gesture of rubbing his thumb against his other fingers, as if holding money.

"Oh! Right!" Oliver remembered he didn't ask the most important question of all. He turned back to Lilly and cringed nervously. "You didn't tell me how much is the rent?" He feared the answer. This could be a perfect place to live in, but if he couldn't afford it, then it was a waste of time and he will have to go look for something else.

"It's 1200$ a month, bills and building management aren't included."

Oliver felt the disappointment hit him like a tidal wave. His shoulder slumped down. It was about 200$ more than what he paid for his last apartment, and honestly he should have seen it coming, a place so wonderful in a building like that.

"It's out of your budget," Lilly said, concluding it by his body language.

Oliver nodded. "I'm sorry. It was nice meeting you, though."

Lilly extended her hand and Oliver shook it again. "No problem. Good luck in your search. Let me walk you to the door."

Oliver and Jake left the room and walked with Lilly to the front door. "Sorry for wasting your time," Oliver apologized.

"You didn't," Lilly assured him with another sweet smile.

Jake and Oliver walked out and Jake waved her goodbye before she closed the door after them, taking with her the slight hope that Oliver held for a few minutes since he walked into 4-E.

–––

**A/N:** Want to know what happens next? Review this chapter and I will upload the next one soon :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hannah Montana.

–––

**A/N:** Thanks so much for the kind reviews! Hope you enjoy chapter 3 and don't forget to review! :)

–––

**Shooting Rainbows**

–––

**Chapter 3:**

"Oliver, what are you doing?" Jake hissed when Lilly closed the door after they left her apartment. "I know it's a little bit pricier than what you're used to, but you will never find anything as good as this for a lower price."

Oliver looked at him with a quizzical look. "I know, but..."

"You should take it. An opportunity like this doesn't come every day. I know for a fact you make enough money to cover the rent and still have spares in the end of the month. You're a calculated person, who's been saving money ever since you graduated high school. You can afford it, trust me. You should give it a try for at least a few months. And if you go bankrupt after that, then I will lend you the money to get back on your feet and you won't even have to pay me back."

Oliver frowned. "Why are you doing this? Do you want me so badly out of your way?"

Jake rolled his eyes. "If I was, why would I even let you into my home in the first place? I saw how excited you got earlier. I just want to see my best friend happy."

Oliver looked at Jake, testing to see if his features will give him away and the truth will come out, but Jake didn't even flinch or blink and Oliver knew that his friend was serious.

"O..." Oliver began to say, but before he even let out the first syllable, Jake already knocked on Lilly's door. "...kay."

The door opened again to reveal Lilly, who was clearly surprised to see them again.

"Pretty boy here changed his mind," Jake said charmingly with a tilt of his head over at Oliver. Oliver blushed at the comment, which he didn't find amusing as his friend did. To make Jake pay for it, Oliver stepped hard on his friend's foot and Jake squirmed in pain, but did a fine job holding a straight face and not screaming out. Oliver will have to give him some credit later for his improved acting skills.

Lilly grinned widely at them, their playful act did not go unnoticed by her, and stepped back to let them back inside.

–––

Oliver let out a nervous laugh when he finished reviewing and signing the lease papers. He couldn't believe he actually managed to find a new place to live in less than 48 hours since he moved out of his old apartment.

"This is so great! When can I move in?" he asked Lilly.

"Well, I have to give the papers to the landlord. He needs to review them, but don't worry, he's already told me he's fine with whoever I choose. If you want, I can take you to him now and introduce you. The rent for this month is already covered, but I have no problem with you moving in right away. We're only a few days away until next month begins, anyway."

"Wonderful!" Oliver said happily. Jake laughed at the sight of him.

"Congrats, bro!" he said, clapping Oliver on the back.

"You know, Lilly," Oliver said, meaning to express a thought he's being having trouble understanding. "I still can't believe you agreed to let me move in with you. I even checked the papers twice to see where it was said it was only a joke."

Lilly laughed. "Really? Why's that?"

Oliver looked at her. "You know, because I'm a guy."

"Yeah, but it's not that uncommon," Jake noted, shrugging.

"Yeah, I agree," Lilly said. "Besides, you're different than most guys and I trust you. Jake, I'm so happy that you introduced us. I never knew you had friends playing for the other team. That's so great!"

Oliver and Jake both froze at her words. A familiar pop song started to play throughout the apartment and Lilly's head snapped around to her phone, which she left in the kitchen. "Sorry, this must be work again. I'll be right back," she said and ran over to answer her call.

Oliver was still confused by what she told Jake. "What did she say?" he asked slowly.

Jake looked as puzzled as Oliver, but Oliver could tell that it slowly dawned on him. Jake tensed and clenched his jaw nervously. When his eyes landed on Oliver's pink shirt, it didn't take long for Oliver to understand as well.

"Other... team...? _Other team?!_" Oliver hissed at his friend. Both of them were still a bit shocked.

"Uhh..."

"What team was she talking about, _Leslie?!_"

Jake's mouth kept opening and closing in confusion. "I think there's a bit of misunderstanding..."

Oliver was fuming. "You _think?!_ She thinks I'm gay, Jake! I'm _not_ gay!"

Jake quickly pressed his hand against Oliver's mouth to shut him up. Oliver was too close to scream out. "I know you're not gay, Oliver, but I suggest you get your emotions under control right now before you do something you might regret." Jake cautiously removed his hand from Oliver's mouth, carefully checking he would not start screaming. When Oliver remained quiet, he went on, "Now think about it, this situation can benefit you."

"Benefit me how? The only reason she agreed to let me move in is because she thinks I will never make a move on her because I'm gay!" Oliver hissed again.

Jake tried to calm him down and shush him. He looked over to the kitchen and checked if Lilly heard anything, but luckily she was still busy on the phone.

"You're not going to make a move on her anyways, so stop making a big deal out of it. And I guess you're right. If she knew you're straight, she wouldn't want to live with you. Now, hear what I have in mind. You don't have to lie and you don't have to admit anything. All you have to do is not say you're not gay. She doesn't have to know a thing. Besides, what you do with your life is your own business. Think about it, Oliver, you have a few choices: This place, my couch, your parents or the street. Which sounds better?"

Oliver had to agree that Jake's reasoning sounded rather logical, but there were still a few holes in the plan. "But what will happen when I want to bring a girlfriend over? Won't it look strange for her when they meet?"

Jake rolled his eyes. "Come on, we're talking about you here. When was the last time you had a girl over? Wait, now that I think about it..."

"I'm not gay!" Oliver said again.

Jake began to snigger, just in time when Lilly returned and he had to hide his smile behind his hand.

"So, you're ready to meet the landlord?" she asked Oliver. "He lives on the first floor."

Oliver hesitated and exchanged a look with Jake. Jake nodded slightly, prodding him to do as he suggested. Lilly seemed to see that. "Is something wrong?" she asked with concern. "Did you change your mind again?"

Oliver plastered a fake smile on his lips. "No, everything's fine. Let's go."

–––

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Oliver sighed when he and Jake returned to Jake's apartment.

"I did you a favor. You were about to throw that opportunity away. Twice."

"All you did was getting me into trouble," Oliver said. "I'm not a good liar, not even a good actor. How am I supposed to pretend to be someone I'm not?"

Jake put a hand on Oliver's shoulder and looked directly into his eyes. "I told you, if she asks you anything that is... _gay-related_," he said the last words carefully, "just change the subject. Don't ever admit it. If, in case something happens and she will find out you're straight, all you have to do is play innocent and say 'I never said I was gay.' Make her think she was the one to assume things and let her face her own mistakes. It's not even lying, Oliver."

He clapped Oliver twice on the shoulder and walked over to the fridge to look for something to drink. Oliver's eyes followed him.

"When she kicks me out, I'm going to bang so hard on your door and kick _you_ out of your bed, because that's where I'll be sleeping at after that."

"By all means, feel more than welcome to do so. I just know it will never happen. This plan is foolproof. It's absolutely genius. If you play your cards well and do exactly like I said, then you have nothing to worry about."

Oliver sighed again. "Alright. I'll give it a try." He looked up at Jake and gave him a hopeful look and asked with half of a smile, "Wanna help me repack my things?"

"On one condition," Jake pointed his finger at Oliver. "You will never call me Leslie again."

Oliver chuckled. "Deal."

–––

**A/N:** Liked it? I sure hope you did! Please leave a review and tell me what you think! I will post the next chapter after I'd get some love ;) P.S. If you can, please recommend the story to others. I'd be super thankful if I get more readers. Thank you. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hannah Montana.

–––

**A/N:** Thanks for all of you who read and reviewed. This chapter contains a bit of kinkiness (to justify the M rating), so I hope you like it :)

–––

**Shooting Rainbows**

–––

**Chapter 4:**

It's been four days since Oliver moved in with Lilly and so far, they hadn't really spent any time together to get to know each other and talk. They just never came across one another. He noticed she left for work in the evenings and came back in the wee hours of the night, when he was already asleep. When he got up in the mornings to leave for work, she was the one sleeping, and by the time he got back home, she was already gone again.

Oliver was beginning to feel a little awkward whenever he came home. On the one hand, he wished he wouldn't bump into her, because then he wouldn't really know what to say to her. On the other hand, he wanted to get it over with and have a talk with her already, so he could move on and feel at ease again. He hated being stuck in that situation. He wanted to be comfortable in his new home and was unable to whilst they kept missing each other.

It was around seven thirty when he got home from work that day. He had to stay longer than usual to finish backed-up projects. Expecting to enter the apartment for another evening of having it to himself, he was in for a surprise as he found Lilly sitting in the living room, watching TV.

He wasn't sure what she was doing there in such an hour. Judging by the evenings before, he thought she would be gone by the time he got home, but there she was, sitting on the sofa and watching Gossip Girl.

He closed the front door quietly. He wasn't sure if he did it because he didn't want to disturb her or because he didn't want her to notice he was there. He hung his coat on the hanger beside the door and took off his shoes.

He took a moment to look at her (or more like, the back of her head) and then studied the way to the hallway, trying to count how many steps it will take him to get there. He wondered how he was supposed to cross the living room to his bedroom without making her notice him. It seemed impossible. After all, she couldn't be _that_ engrossed in her TV show. He realized had no choice. He had to get this over with, for the sake of having to live with her for at least a few months, like he promised Jake.

He cleared his throat loudly. "Erm... hey."

She turned her head and flashed him a smile. She didn't seem surprised or startled to find his presence there. He wondered if she did hear him come in, after all. "Hey, roomie!" she said cheerfully.

He returned her smile, shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers and walked over to stand by the sofa. "I didn't expect to see you here at this time," he said honestly.

She muted the TV and looked up at him. "I have the rest of the week off," she explained.

He nodded. He decided to be nice and start a small conversation with her. They had to start somewhere. "Do you always work so late at nights?"

"No, not always," she said. "I don't really have steady hours. I work on mornings and weekends, as well."

She got up and walked into the kitchen, leaving her show on mute. Oliver felt bad that he interrupted her. As his eyes followed her, he suddenly took notice of the delicious smell of food that filled the air. His stomach gave a loud growl and reminded him how hungry he was. For the past few days he had been living on the stale sandwiches that were served for lunch at work and take-out boxes for dinner, but today was so busy and chaotic that he didn't even had time to go out and eat anything.

"What smells so good?" he asked with interest.

Lilly moved over to the stove to check on a pot she left on the burner. As she lifted the lid, hot steam emerged out like a mushroom cloud and the smell in the room only intensified.

"Homemade mac and cheese. Want to join me?"

Oliver hesitated, but the pain in his stomach got stronger by the second and he couldn't ignore it anymore. He had to admit that her cooking smelled heavenly. Besides, it'd be a good chance to get to talk to her.

"Sure," he said. She smiled and stirred the contents of the pot before she pulled out two bowls from the cabinet above the sink and poured a generous helping for each of them.

Oliver helped with setting up the dining table. He pulled out two glasses and a Coke bottle from the fridge.

"Do you have a preferred seat?" he asked.

She chuckled. "I do actually," she said, her voice somewhat filled with awe. Oliver was sure she didn't expect him to ask and that she admired him for that. "That one," she said and pointed to the chair on the right end. He nodded and chose the one across from hers.

She came over and put the two bowls on the table in front of each seat. "It's not much," she said modestly as they both sat down. "But I just craved mac and cheese for so long now, that I had to make it."

Oliver took a spoonful into his mouth and groaned loudly. "Oh, my God."

Lilly stared at him with wide eyes. "What? You don't like it?"

Oliver swallowed and shook his head forcefully. "No, I do. It's delicious!"

She beamed with joy. "Really? You mean it?"

Oliver nodded as he hurried to take another spoonful.

"Thank you, Oliver. I love to cook, but Miley didn't use to like my cooking. When we didn't eat out, she insisted to take over the kitchen."

"I can cook, too, but not as good, so you can take over the kitchen whenever you'd like," Oliver said and Lilly gave him a grateful smile in return.

Oliver was interested to hear more about Miley. That was the second time he heard of her and he had no idea who she was. Somehow he got the feeling that she and Jake used to go out, but Jake never mentioned her before. It was weird, because Oliver knew all of Jake's past girlfriends and never had he heard about a Miley. True, Jake had a lot of girlfriends and remembering all of their names would be almost impossible, but a name like Miley isn't common, so there was no way Oliver would have forgotten her. He guessed it would be more appropriate to ask Jake about that later instead of going indirectly and ask Lilly first. He chose to forget about that for now and just ask Lilly about her relationship with her.

"So that Miley girl. She's your old roommate, I understand?" he asked as he poured them both a glass of Coke.

"Thanks," Lilly said as she took a sip of her drink and nodded to answer his question. "Yeah. We've been best friends since the sixth grade."

"Why did she move out?"

Lilly shrugged. "She felt like it was finally time for her to be on her own."

"Did you have a fight?"

"No, it wasn't anything like that. We're still friends and see each other all the time. She's doing really well in her job, so she bought her own house."

"Oh. Good for her," Oliver said, drinking from his own glass of Coke.

"Yeah, I'm happy for her. We shared a dorm room in college and after that we moved in here."

"So it must be strange for you to live with a stranger now."

Lilly looked up at him and gave him a nervous smile. "A little bit."

He smiled at her in reassurance. "Don't worry. Once we break the ice, we won't be such strangers anymore."

"Well, there's no better time than the present to get to know each other," she said. "Let's ask each other a few questions."

"Erm, okay," Oliver said unsurely. "Like what is my favorite color and such?"

She nodded. "That's a good start. What is your favorite color? Oh, wait. Don't tell me. Is it blue?" she said with mock cheek.

He chuckled. "No. It's brown, actually."

"What? Brown is not a color you can love!" she protested.

"Yes, it is!" Oliver contradicted.

"Fine, if you say so. I actually was kidding about the blue. To be honest, I thought it'd be pink."

Oliver wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Eww! Why?"

"I don't know... Because you have too many pink shirts?" she chuckled, eyeing the shirt he had on. It was a different one than when she last saw him wear when he applied for the apartment the other day.

Oliver sighed and buried his head in his hands. "That was a laundry accident. It was horrible. They used to be white." Lilly laughed harder at that. Looking back now at the situation, he thought it was hilarious. He chuckled at the memory.

Moving on with the conversation, it was his turn to ask her. "So what your favorite color is?"

"Green," she answered simply, stretching her neck as though proud of her answer.

He nodded. "Green is a good choice. Favorite singer or band?"

"Hannah Montana," she said without even thinking.

At that, Oliver let out a great laugh of his own. Lilly's eyes widened and she looked slightly offended. "I'm sorry. I just always thought of Hannah Montana as a teen's idol. Not many adults like her."

"Well, I have to like her."

"Why?"

"She's my boss," Lilly said without even blinking.

Oliver became silent after that. When the shock faded, he asked, "What?"

Lilly sat back in her seat and folded her hands over her chest, now looking smug. She raised an eyebrow, as if challenging him to say she was lying.

"What do you mean, she's your boss?"

"I told you before. I'm her assistant."

"You didn't tell me who you worked for. Wow. Hannah Montana. Jake used to date her, you know." Another one of Jake's old girlfriends, Oliver noted to himself. Only Hannah Montana was the most unforgettable of them all.

She nodded. "Yeah, I know. That's how we know each other. It was such a long time ago, though."

Oliver chuckled. "And he's still pining over her. He'd deny it, though, if you ask him."

Lilly smiled again. "I know," she said and added a wink.

They finished their food and put the dishes in the sink. Oliver offered he will wash them later and Lilly didn't object to that. They moved to the living room and sat comfortably on the sofa to continue their conversation.

"So besides Hannah," Oliver said, picking up from when they left off. "Name another music artist that you like."

Lilly gave it a thought before she answered. "Well, I like Muse, Radiohead, Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift. It's a strange combination, but I find them all good. Your turn."

"Taylor is awesome, I agree," he said and they both chuckled. "I really like listening to Coldplay."

They sat on the sofa for hours, sharing facts about themselves and telling each other stories. They talked about everything. Work, hobbies, people in their lives. Oliver never expected it to go so smoothly so quickly. He was glad they gave it a chance. He learned she was a lovely person and was more than glad to have her as a roommate.

At some point, Lilly suggested to open a bottle of wine she had kept under the sink. They both had a glass and the conversion continued to flow easily. Lilly suggested a fun game, when they had to dub the commercials that were playing on the still muted TV. It turned out to be hilarious and they ended up laughing so hard, they could barely breathe.

"'Look how fantastic our washing powder cleans!'" Oliver said in his worst imitation of a girl. "'With just one touch of Photoshop and the shirt is perfectly clean again!'"

Lilly snorted a laugh. Oliver laughed at the sound she made but thought it was cute. "'What we will never tell you is that it is actually a completely different shirt!'" Lilly said in a low voice in her attempt of dubbing a man.

Oliver let out a fake, exaggerated sigh. "If only it would have worked for my poor pink clothes..." They both laughed at that.

As the time rolled on, the bottle of wine began to empty and the conversation turned more to the intimate side. They neglected the TV and began talking about relationships. Neither felt it was going too far, too fast. On the contrary, it felt as if they'd known each other for years.

Giggly and slightly drunk, Lilly suddenly asked, "So, Oliver... Be honest. Are you a Bottom or a Top?"

Oliver nearly spat out his wine at her question. "Wha... What?" he squeaked, his voice higher than usual.

Lilly threw her head back and laughed. "You know... in bed."

Oliver began to feel flushed. He wasn't sure if it was because he was embarrassed at the question or it was an effect the wine had on him. "Wow, I didn't expect that question..." he said honestly. He gulped hard, packed up some courage and answered. "Uh, I'm a Top, I guess. Have to be in control."

Lilly laughed again and shoved his chest lightly. Oliver suddenly felt a rush of goosebumps run through his skin when she touched him. He quickly ignored it. "No way. I would've pictured you more as the Bottom type."

Then Oliver realized the way she imagined him in bed. It wouldn't be with a girl. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel about that. Should he be offended? Truth was that he didn't even had a clear mind to think about it too much, but just the idea that she even thought about it, of him in bed, no matter who it was with, boy or girl, made him feel even more flushed and even slightly excited.

"What type are you?" he asked boldly. He stared straight into her eyes, noting how large they looked through her glasses.

"Oh, I'm good either way," she answered and then drained the rest of the wine that was left in her glass in one large gulp. He decided if the conversation was turning this bold and open, he should finish his drink, as well. It was his third glass and the alcohol was now taking full possession of his ability to think and talk. He didn't mind it one bit, though.

"Ass Man or Front Man?" she asked again as she stretched out her hands, pushing her chest forward slightly as she did so.

A smile spread upon his lips. He couldn't believe she was asking him those questions. He realized she must be really wasted to ask someone she just got to know something like that.

He couldn't help but stare at her breasts as she stretched and groaned. It was such a sexy sound that he didn't expect to hear from her. He'd had to admit she had nice body and her face, though hidden behind her large, geeky glasses, was quite beautiful. He was so distracted watching her that he answered automatically. "One hundred percent a Front Man."

Lilly laughed at that, not noticing he stared at her and Oliver was glad for that. If she'd suddenly pick up on his behavior and realize he wasn't gay, the friendship they just built will crumble into pieces in less than a second. Oliver quickly averted his eyes away from her and fixed them on the TV, pretending to watch whatever was currently on.

"So, was the breakup from Alex hard for you?" Lilly asked.

Oliver frowned, not understanding what she meant. It was one of the effects the wine caused him. He squinted at her. "Who?"

"Alex. That's his name, right? You said you lived together. Was it serious?"

Oliver's eyes widened in shock mixed with disgust. "Oh, God no! We were only roommates."

"Oh!" Lilly said, her hands shooting to her mouth, to cover her embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I just thought... well, you let it sound like you were a couple."

Oliver shook his head and sighed. How could she even think he was gay? What was it about him that made him look like he was attracted to guys? Could it really be the outcome of wearing pink shirts?

He remembered what Jake told him. He just had to avoid that kind of conversations and never admit a thing. He hated doing this, but he had no choice. He didn't know how much longer was he supposed to play along with Lilly's assumptions and pretend, but he hoped he will be able to tell her the truth soon enough, maybe after she got used to having him around. He only hoped that whenever that time come, she wouldn't resent him.

"No, thankfully he's not my type," Oliver answered. It was the honest truth, after all.

"What is your type?" she asked, sounding interested.

Oliver thought about how to answer that question without revealing his secret. "Umm... I suppose I like them to be... more gentle, less hairy and not addicted to drugs," he said, carefully choosing his words.

Lilly giggled at that. She let out a sudden yawn and looked through heavy lidded eyes at her watch. "Whoa. Is it really the time?" she asked in surprise.

Oliver checked his own watch and noted it was now 2:40am. He sighed as he remembered he had to work the next morning. "Damn," he said as he and Lilly got up from the couch. Lilly turned off the TV and grabbed the empty bottle and glasses. "I have to get up for work in four hours. Will it be okay if I left the dishes for tomorrow?"

Lilly waved him off. "Don't worry about it. I'll get them in the morning. You go get your beauty sleep; I'll clean up in here."

"Thank you. I owe you," he said and leaned over to plant a quick peck on her cheek. It felt so natural, as though they'd been friends for longer than a few hours. "Goodnight."

"Night," she said in a sleepy voice as she headed to the kitchen and he to his bedroom.

–––

**A/N:** Did you enjoy it? Please review this chapter and tell me what you think. As per usual, I will post the next one once I get some love :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hannah Montana.

–––

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay in posting this, but I hope the long chapter will make up for the wait. Thanks again for the reviews, faves and follows. I read every comment and I appreciate it a lot! Keep it up and I will keep posting :)

–––

**Shooting Rainbows**

–––

**Chapter 5:**

Oliver was trying his best to stay awake during the meeting. He had no idea what he was doing there, since it had nothing to do with his department's field, but his boss had to be there and couldn't, so he was asked to fill in for him.

He had such a headache from the night before and he barely gotten any sleep. The meeting was long and boring and he was stuck in the conference room, having to listen to matters that did not interest or relate to him in any way.

He was daydreaming of coffee or sleep. Yes, sleep sounded better. He thought maybe he will be able to go home earlier today. His boss wasn't around and he finished most of today's work yesterday. It was the perfect opportunity.

His eyes, though half closed, were fixed on the clock that hung on the wall on the far side of the room, noting it was noon soon and he would be able to go to lunch. A sudden thought occurred to him to actually skip lunch and just fall asleep for an hour on his desk instead. The idea sounded heavenly in his head.

A sudden movement through the glass wall of the room caught his eyes and he looked over to see Jake standing outside and waving at him. Oliver hoped none of his coworkers noticed his friend. He could really get into trouble for this. His phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket and he was thankful he kept it on vibrate mode, or else the tune would have made every head in the room turn to scowl at him.

He silently pulled his phone out, thankful no one in the room even knew him to care enough to look at him, and put it under the table and read the text from Jake. _'Sup?' _it said. Oliver rolled his eyes in irritation. He texted him back, _'Meeting's over soon. Wait in my office. Don't talk to people!'_

He looked up to see Jake reading the message. Jake looked up from his phone, gave him a thumbs-up and then walked off over to Oliver's office.

The meeting reached to an end about ten minutes later. Oliver rushed over to his office to look for Jake.

His office was a rather small space and he had to share it with another coworker, but he didn't mind. It's not like he required privacy for the kind of job that he had.

Oliver entered his office and found Jake leaning over his office-mate's desk. Her name was Julie and she was exactly Jake's type: she was slutty and pretty. Jake only cared for good looking women and nothing else. They could be gorgeous but completely brainless and he wouldn't care. After all, it was breasts that Jake was looking for in women, not brains. Julie seemed to like Jake's presence in the room and didn't mind his flirting one bit. Oliver rolled his eyes and without even an apology to Julie, he grabbed his man-whore friend and dragged him over to his own desk.

Oliver sat in his chair, appearing exhausted than ever and looked up at Jake. "What are you doing here?" he asked him tiredly.

Jake flashed him a perfect white smile. "I finished filming my scenes early today, so I thought we could go grab lunch together."

"Well, as tempting as it sounds, I can't. I have to finish a project due today and if I want to leave early and get some sleep before tonight, I need to skip lunch." Oliver faced the truth; if he wanted to get home early today, not only will he have to skip lunch, but also his so desired desk-nap.

Jake furrowed his eyebrows. "What's with you? You don't look good."

Oliver sighed and began to rub his temples in attempt to get rid of his headache. "Lilly and I got hammered last night."

Jake squinted at him. "Did you sleep with her?"

"No!" Oliver replied defensively.

Jake chuckled. "I knew you didn't have it in you."

Oliver shot him a glare. "I'm not you, you slut."

"That's right, you're not. You're gay," he said in a matter-of-factly tone.

Oliver quickly shushed him. He looked nervously at Julie. Judging by the look she gave him, she obviously heard that last part. "I'm not gay," he told her weakly, letting out a nervous laugh.

She raised her eyebrows in return, got up from her desk while muttering, "That explains so much..." and left the room.

Oliver shot up from his chair and punched Jake's shoulder hard. Jake gasp in pain and held his aching shoulder, looking shocked.

"What are you trying to do to me? It's not funny anymore, Jake!" Oliver hissed. "First you're outing me to my roommate, now my coworkers. What gives?"

"Oliver, get over it. So Lilly thinks you're gay and will never screw you, big deal. There are plenty of fish in the sea, ones that _I_ didn't have time to go over yet."

"First of all, she's my roommate. I don't think of her that way. Secondly, just because she thinks that, doesn't mean my whole office needs to think so, too!" Oliver said piercingly. He took a deep breath to settle down and then spoke calmly. "The last thing I need is rumors flying around here about my sexual orientation. People here likes to gossip and now Julie heard –"

"Let me take care of Julie," Jake interrupted with a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Great, so it's either people talking about me behind my back or Julie giving me hell because you didn't call her the next day," he said, referring to Jake's usual date routine of Jump-And-Dump, as Oliver called it.

Jake shrugged. "Who said life is fair?"

Oliver pouted as he thought about it for a moment, considering his options. "Fine. Go have sex with Julie."

Jake chuckled lightly. "It's not like I needed your permission. I mean, I already asked her out a minute before you came in," he said smugly.

"Whatever. Just before you dump her, make sure that she didn't blab about this to her friends and if she did, she better correct herself."

"Consider it done. I'm gonna make you legendary straight."

Oliver blinked at him, a serious expression on his face. "I am straight," he reminded him.

Jake tapped the side of his nose and winked. "But not legendary."

Oliver rolled his eyes again. "Fine. Now go, get out of my office and let me work." He pushed Jake out of the door.

"You're such a nerd," Jake laughed and began to walk off. "I'll go find Julie and ask her what time to pick her up tonight."

Oliver frowned. "Wait! You're taking her out _tonight?_"

Jake stopped and turned to look at Oliver. "Yeah..."

Oliver's shoulders sagged at that. "I can't believe you're bailing out on me," he said in disappointment.

Jake looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"The Lakers game! We got those tickets like a month ago, remember?"

Jake's eyes widened. "That's tonight?" Oliver nodded. "Well, they're playing the Knicks, so chances are I am the one who get to score more than them," Jake said with a smirk. Oliver gave him a gloom look and walked back into his office. Jake followed him. "Listen, Ol, I'm sorry, but I will make it up to you. Julie won't doubt for a second that you're straight."

"Yeah, whatever..." Oliver said moodily, waving him off as he slumped into his chair again.

"You can still go to the game."

Oliver looked up at him and gave him a skeptical glare. "By myself? It won't be the same."

"Do you want me to ask Julie if she has a friend? An easy one is even better. You'd get laid without even trying."

Oliver shook his head in disbelief at his friend's suggestion. "I think I'll pass."

Jake sighed. "Geez, Oliver, no wonder people think you're gay..." he said with a roll of his eyes. "Ooh, I know, why don't you take Lilly with you?"

The thought hadn't even occurred to Oliver. He _could_ ask her to go with him. It'd be a total waste of the tickets if neither he nor Jake gets to use them. He wondered if Lilly was even interested in basketball to even want to go to the game. On the other hand, it was the Lakers, he didn't know a single Angelino who didn't support them. "I guess I could ask her."

"Great! I hope you'll have fun. I sure know I will," Jake said with a wink, clapping Oliver on the back and heading out again.

"I hope you'll get an STD!" Oliver called out the door and Jake's laugh echoed down the hall.

–––

Hungry and exhausted, Oliver managed to get home earlier that day like he hoped. As he walked through the door, he spotted Lilly in the living room. She was knitting what looked like a scarf while she listened to music playing on TV. Her head was moving from side to side in sync with the song and he could hear her singing along, though she was very out of tune.

"Hey," he greeted her tiredly. He walked straight to the kitchen, not waiting for her to reply.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully from her spot on the couch. "You're home early."

Oliver opened the fridge and started searching for something edible. His eyes sparked when he saw last night's leftovers. He grabbed the pot of macaroni and cheese and put it on the counter after kicking the fridge's door shut.

"Uh, yeah..." he said distractedly as he poured himself a bowl and shoved it into the microwave. "Jake and I were supposed to have a thing tonight, but he ditched me. Do you want to eat with me?" he called over his shoulder, not wanting to be rude by not asking her to join him.

"No, thank you. I already ate. Didn't expect you home at this hour," she replied.

As he waited for his meal to heat up, he walked back to the living room and stood by her, so they could have a more proper and polite conversation.

She neglected her knitting and looked up at him. "So what thing?"

"Just a game," he said, shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't quite sure how to tell her. He wanted to ask her to go with him because she was the only one left that he could ask, and he didn't want to go alone. He wondered if she would even be interested. Did girls even like basketball?

She smiled at him, as if amused at his shyness.

He pulled out the two tickets for tonight's game out of the back pocket of his jeans and examined them.

To his great surprise, Lilly jumped to her feet the second she saw the tickets and rushed over to him to see them up close. "Are those Lakers tickets?" she asked, her mouth wide open, voice full of wonder. He nodded and let her take a look, and she began to inspect their genuineness.

The microwave beeped three times, signaling to Oliver that his food was ready. He turned and walked back into the kitchen, leaving Lilly rooted in place, still marveling the tickets in her hands. "Yeah, but it's not like I get to use them now that Jake canceled –"

"I'll go! Take me!" she called eagerly and his head span around in surprise.

"Really?" he asked with a doubtful frown, not sure if she was serious, but she nodded vigorously. "You like sports?"

Lilly grinned, walking over and sitting with Oliver at the dining table as he began to eat. "Are you kidding? I spent half of my childhood skateboarding, surfing and playing soccer. I was the tomboy of my class."

He laughed. "_Really?_" he asked again, still finding it hard to believe. Okay, so she wasn't ugly looking, but when he looked closely at her, he could defiantly see how she was a tomboy. She was kind of still one. Her clothes were too casual and her hair was always up in a messy bun. Her eyes, ocean blue, he noticed, were always framed behind her thick glasses and never once had he seen her wear any makeup on her face. Still, he thought she was quite pretty in her own, unique way.

She nodded and smirked, seeing how he was watching her. "Yeah, but I got over that phase when I reached high school and became a cheerleader."

Oliver's eyes grew even wider if it was even possible. "You were _not_ a cheerleader!" he laughed.

She shook her head and raised her hand in an oath sign. "I was. Guilty." She arched an eyebrow at his disbelieving face. "Is it so hard to believe?"

Oliver leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "To me it is. The cheerleaders in my high school were always mean and bitchy. It might be a stereotype, but the impression I was left thanks to them was that all cheerleaders were like that. I just can't imagine you acting like them. You're so... nice."

"Why, I don't know if I should be offended or flattered. I mean, I know what you're talking about. We had a few nasty girls on our squad as well, but not all of us were like that."

"I'm sorry, I just have many scars from high school."

"What school did you go to?" she asked, not really meaning to learn the school's name, but because she was shocked at his point of view and wondered what kind of people he went to school with, that made him feel like that.

"One that groomed bitches and Queen B's out of cheerleaders and douchebags out of jocks, and they ruled the school. It was your typical American kind of high school."

"Uh-oh. So I'm sensing you weren't one of the jocks?"

"Nah. I did try for the football team at one point, but like I said, they were all douchebags and a bunch of dimwits and I didn't get along with them, so I quitted."

Lilly smiled sympathetically at him. "It kinda makes me wish we went to school together. I'm sure we would have had gotten along pretty well."

Oliver looked at her doubtfully. "I don't know... Would you have risked your popular reputation to be seen with a nobody like me?"

Lilly chuckled at that. "First of all, just because I was a cheerleader, does not mean I was popular, just athletic. Miley and I were considered to be the top losers of our class. And secondly, you wouldn't be a nobody. You would've been my friend."

She reached her hand across the table to grab his and gave him a sweet smile. Oliver felt his heart melt at the curve of her lips. Her words touched him and made him wish he did know her back in high school. It would have saved him so much pain and heartache if that was the case.

Suddenly, she perked and straightened up in her seat. "So, what do you say? Can I go with you?"

He was so dazzled and still engrossed with her earlier speech that he didn't understand what she talked about. He blinked. "Go where?"

"To the game, silly!" She laughed.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts and remembering how they even gotten to talk about this emotional matters in the first place. "Oh," he said stupidly, and then he gave her a mischievous grin. "I don't know. You still haven't proven me you're worthy of the ticket."

She huffed in shock, not expecting his response. "Fine. Wait right here."

She got up from the table and disappeared into her room. A minute later she returned, wearing a purple and gold Lakers jersey that was too large for her tiny frame that it covered her bottom. She also had a yellow foam finger on her hand, which she saluted him with. She twirled around in a circle and then put her hands on her waist, the foam finger sticking out in a weird angle, while she awaited his answer. "So? What do you say?"

He chuckled, amazed at her appearance. "Wow. A true Lakers fan in this very room. What more could I ask for? Sure, you can come."

"Eeep!" she squealed in excitement, jumping up and down. Oliver laughed at her reaction. It's not like she really needed a reason to convince him. Once she said she wanted to go, he knew he would take her. He merely enjoyed that playful time they just shared together.

Before he'd seen it coming, Lilly grabbed him in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said eagerly and gave him a wet peck on the cheek before she disappeared back into her room.

Oliver chuckled, a little taken aback by her enthusiasm. Who would have thought this would be her reaction? Certainly not him.

–––

"Are you sure you want to come? You don't have to," Oliver said to Lilly through the closed bathroom door as she was getting ready later that evening.

"Oliver..." she said in a warning tone.

"I know, I know. I'm just saying, it's Friday night, you probably have better plans and you feel sorry that I don't have anyone to go with, so as my roommate you feel obligated to come because you don't want me to feel pathetic –"

"Oliver!" she called again, cutting him mid-sentence. "Enough with the _'feeling'_! I don't think you're pathetic. On the contrary, I'm the pathetic one. You had game tickets while _I_ didn't have any plans for tonight. You're the first that asked me to go out tonight, and I'll be more than happy to spend the night with you."

Oliver was relieved to hear her say that. Wait... that didn't sound right...

"I meant..." she said, also catching on the double meaning of her words.

He chuckled to ease the tension. "I get it."

He checked the time on his watch, noting they were running late. "What is taking you so long?" he whined, feeling edgy.

"Hey, I'm a girl! We're allowed to take our time in the bathroom!" she called defensively.

Oliver exhaled in annoyance and walked into his bedroom to check his own appearance in the large mirror of his closet. It took him exactly two minutes to get ready. He wore a black t-shirt and a Lakers jacket above it, a pair of jeans and sneakers, and sprayed on some colon. He didn't need anything else.

He heard the lock of the bathroom door rattle and then Lilly emerged out. Or at least he thought it was her. She wore Lilly's jersey, but tucked it inside a tight pair of skinny jeans which she matched with a pair of black stilettos. She was the same as Lilly's height (minus the high heels, of course) and even had the same hair color that Lilly had, but she didn't look like Lilly, but more like a new version of her or even her twin sister.

Her hair was down, finally not set up in a bun. Her glasses were gone and she even wore makeup; not too much, but it was evident she had put on something. It was just a touch of mascara and eyeliner, a bit of blush and lip-gloss, but it did a whole lot of difference to her face.

Lilly looked different. She looked...

"...beautiful," Oliver blurted.

She turned to look at him, seeing him gazing at her wide-eyed. "What?" she asked, a bit self-conscious, obviously not hearing what he said.

He shook his head out of his stupor. He remembered he wasn't supposed to be staring at her. "Nothing. Ready to go?"

–––

Oliver and Lilly decided it'd be better to ride a taxi to Staples Center, where the game was held. At this hour of the evening, the roads were packed with traffic. Their main fear was to get held up by looking for a parking space if they'd rode Oliver's car, so they thought this was the quicker option.

They reached their destination with twenty minutes until the start of the game. The place was packed with people; the crowd was colored with a palette of gold and purple for the Lakers fans and blue and orange for the Knicks supporters. They managed to squeeze their way through and get to the entrance line quickly and easily.

Oliver and Lilly waited in line. Oliver noticed Lilly was slightly shivering from cold, her hands wrapped around herself to keep her warm. She didn't have anything on but her short sleeve jersey. He pulled off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She looked over her shoulder at him in surprise. "You'd get cold," she said, about to protest and take the jacket off.

He stopped her. "You need it more than I do."

She smiled in gratitude. "Thank you," she said sweetly.

They reached the front of the line. An usher checked their tickers and stirred them to the right gate. As they moved through the horde of the crowd, Oliver grabbed Lilly's hand so they won't lose each other.

As the crowd began to thin, signaling the game was about to start, they finally reached their gate. Oliver spotted the snack bar and stopped Lilly.

"Do you want anything?" he asked.

She seemed to hesitate. "Hmm... I don't know..."

Oliver was sure she was just being shy. He didn't wait for her to decide. "I'll just go grab us beers."

"Okay," she accepted the offer and waited for him to return.

Luckily the snack bar wasn't busy. Everyone had hurried to get inside to see the game. Oliver returned a minute later with two cups of beer. Lilly thanked him, grabbed hers and together they walked through the gate to search for their seats. "Oh, this is awesome!" Lilly said when they found them. They had great seats: second level, front row, right in the center. Oliver was glad that Jake had paid for the tickets since they were quite expensive. Serves him right for ditching him. "Remember to thank Jake for me for not coming tonight."

Oliver grinned. "I sure will."

They managed to arrive just in time. The cheerleaders finished their routine and the crowd began to buzz with excitement. Loud chatter, cheer calls, whistles and applause filled the hall. Every now and again a flash of a camera flared from every angle. Finally, the announcer introduced the teams and they entered the court, one player after the other as they were called by their names.

The game started off great. The crowd cheered each time the ball entered the loop. Every time the Lakers scored, Oliver and Lilly jumped to their feet and cheered on and Lilly waved her foam finger high in support.

By half-time, the Knicks were in the lead, 74-59. Things didn't look that good for the Lakers.

Oliver and Lilly sipped from their now warm beers. They reviewed some of the great scores their supported team achieved and talked animatedly with their hands, laughing at some of the poor moves a few players made.

Before the second half of the game began, the song _Kiss Me _by Sixpence None the Richer began playing through the hall. The announcer asked everyone's attention to look at the giant hanging scoreboard above. Oliver and Lilly watched as a camera fixed on various couples and they were asked to kiss. Some happily kissed, while others refused politely. The crowd cheered and laughed at the different combinations. They even caught a few celebrities. Then, without even expecting it coming, Oliver and Lilly appeared on the screen.

It took them both a few seconds to realize what was happening, and then they both started laughing, Lilly hiding behind her giant foam finger, her face turning bright crimson in embarrassment. The announcer spoke up, "Come on, it's the Kiss Cam. Give us a kiss!"

Oliver watched as Lilly straightened up, looked at the scoreboard again, still seeing the camera was fixed on them before she turned to look at him. He saw her fighting a laugh, a smile quivering on her lips. She was obviously too nervous to be in the spotlight. People around them began to urge them to kiss; two guys from the row behind them clapped Oliver's shoulder in encouragement.

"Friends?" Oliver asked, breaking the tension and Lilly nodded.

"They will come back to us later if we won't," she said and Oliver thought she had a point.

They closed their eyes and leaned in, their noses bumping, their breath mingling together and then their lips met. The touch of Lilly's lips on Oliver's was soft and light and amazing, but to his great dismay, it ended too quickly. As they pulled apart, Oliver opened his eyes and saw Lilly's ocean blue orbs staring at him in question. Around them, the crowd cheered again and the announcer said, "That's the way to do it!"

They were the last couple to appear on the Kiss Cam and then the players walked in and waited for the whistle to blow and start the game again.

Before the lights dimmed, Oliver noticed the blush on Lilly's cheeks was still there and wondered if his face was red as well. She seemed to be focused on the game, but he couldn't concentrate on what was happening on the court bellow after what just happened. His mind kept thinking about Lilly's lips brushing his. The kiss was perfect. Not too harsh or too forced, it was perfectly moist. He wanted a repeat of it and this time he wanted it to last more than a second and maybe involve their tongues in the process as well.

Then he remembered a slight obstacle. He can't kiss her again, since he wasn't supposed to like kissing girls. Oliver cursed Jake and his plan silently and wished he never agreed to pretend he was gay in the first place. If he'd told Jake before that he didn't think of Lilly that way, then he definitely changed his mind now.

"You're okay?" Lilly asked in concern once the game was over. Surprisingly, the Lakers won, 104-98. "You seem quiet."

Oliver looked at her, but didn't say anything. He grabbed her hand again as they walked out. Lilly let him pull her through the crowd again and when they finally walked out to the cold's night air, she stopped.

"Is it going to be weird now?" she asked worriedly. "Because I don't want us to feel awkward around each other."

Oliver stopped as well and sighed. "Everything is fine, don't worry."

She folded her hands over her chest defensively. "So you're not thinking about the kiss?"

He wanted to say that he will always think about it, that there wasn't a possible way now that a day will go by without him remembering what it feels like to have her lips pressed to his, that he will probably dream about it tonight and for the rest of his life. Instead, he just smiled and said, "You call that a kiss? It was mere a peck, and a bird is even pecking better."

She raised an eyebrow, unfolded her hands and put them on her hips. "Excuse me?"

He turned around and ignored her, a smile stretching on his face and he was glad she couldn't see it. He started walking through the street, leaving her behind. "I'm hungry. Want to go grab a slice of pizza?"

Oliver heard her huff in irritation. Then her heels clicked as she marched up to him. "I'll have you know I'm a great kisser!"

Oliver tried his best not to laugh at her exasperation, but his amusement was still evident in his voice. "I'm sure you are, but as they say, different strokes for different folks."

"Oh. Right," she said, Oliver wondered if for a moment she forgot he was allegedly gay.

"So... pizza?" Oliver asked again, changing the subject.

She looked up at him, forced on a smile and nodded.

They walked together in quiet until they reached a Pizza Hut that was still open and luckily empty. They realized they were hungrier than they originally thought, so they ordered one large pepperoni pizza for the both of them. While Oliver paid and waited for their food to be ready, Lilly chose to sit down at a table by the window that viewed the street. Oliver watched her from afar. She looked outside to the cold street, watching cars stopping at the red lights and people walking by. The view probably comforted her in a way since she suddenly snuggled in Oliver's jacket. She sniffed the collar, closed her eyes and smiled contently.

Oliver smiled at that. The worker behind the counter handed him their order. Oliver carefully took the pizza box and two soda bottles and walked over to the table.

"What was that?" he laughed when he sat down.

"What was what?" Lilly asked, grabbing a slice of pizza and took a bite, a long string of cheese stuck to her lips.

"That...thing you just did with my jacket. You smelled it."

She blushed slightly. "Well, it smells nice. What is it?"

Oliver smiled and took a large bite off his own slice of pizza. "Hugo Boss. You like?"

She hummed in confirmation, too busy to chew on her food. "So, tonight was fun," she said after she swallowed.

"Yeah, I had a great time, as well," Oliver agreed. "I'm glad you came with me."

"Me too. This was even better than a date."

"What are you talking about? We _are_ on a date," Oliver said. When she frowned, not understanding what he meant, he explained. "Think about it. It's Friday night. We dressed up, went out, I let you wear my jacket, paid for the cab, dinner and drinks and we even kissed. And I promise you that by the end of the night, I will also walk you home."

Lilly laughed. "You're right. Best. Date. Ever." They toasted their sodas bottles and took a sip. "Minus the sex part, of course."

Oliver swallowed his soda, the gas bubbles catching in his throat. He coughed lightly but quickly recovered. "Well, I can do that, too."

Lilly squeezed her eyes at him. "Yeah, right. Like I would let you in my bed after you insulted my kissing," she said, playing along.

"You mean your _peck_." Oliver finished his slice of pizza and leaned back in his chair. He stretched out his hands and then put them behind his head. "Well, I offered. It's your loss."

Lilly laughed at Oliver's serious face. It didn't take long before he broke his seriousness and laughed too. They both took another slice of pizza, glad that the evening went great and that they broke the tension the kiss left them with. Sorry, a _peck_, not a kiss.

–––

**A/N: **I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you did, please review and let me know. Once again, I will post the next chapter if I get reviews, so please tell me what you think ;)


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hannah Montana.

–––

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait. I had a bit of difficulties writing this chapter for the reason that it's **rated M**, and it's my first time ever writing a story with such rating and I had to seek a bit of inspiration from other places. It's easy to get carried away and write something dirtier and more descriptive and reach an MA rating, so I had a lot to edit out, but I think I did a fine job in the end. I was a bit careful not to bend the site's rules, so I consider it more like Light M. Let me know what you thought of it, okay?

**Also, if you're too young to be reading stories with M rating, or if you just don't like them, ****then this isn't a story you'd want to read****.** And yes, I know HM is more of a children TV show, but this story is _not_, so thanks for understanding.

Enjoy! :)

–––

**Shooting Rainbows**

–––

**Chapter 6:**

Something really annoying woke Oliver up from his sleep. It was a tune, a song, something familiar that he was too fogged with sleep to think what it was exactly. At first he didn't know where he was, what time or day it is and what was that thing that kept playing music. His hands fumbled blindingly in the dark, searching for the source, and finally finding the menace that somehow got shoved under his pillow. He pulled the offending object out and realized it was only his phone.

The screen flashed brightly, illuminating the dark room. Oliver squinted at it, trying to read the caller's name through bleary eyes, but gave up when they started to water. Wiping his face from sleep, he answered the call with a raspy voice, "Hello?"

"You little piece of shit!" yelled someone from the other side of the line.

Startled, Oliver quickly drew his phone away from his ear. He was too drowsy to understand why anyone would call him and start yelling at him. "Huh?" he asked his caller, utterly puzzled.

"I had a great night. It was great, _really_ great, thank you for asking," said the caller and started rambling. "And I tried to go to sleep, but I couldn't. So there I was thinking to myself, 'hey, I'm bored. I already had sex tonight, so what else can I do? Oh, I know! I can watch TV!' So you know what I did? I watched TV. And you know what I saw on my TV? I saw _you_! Now, can you tell me what you were doing on my TV? Because I sure as hell can't explain it!"

Oliver tried to look at the caller-ID again, but still couldn't make out the name. "Who is this?"

"It's me, you dumb fuck!" yelled the person on the other line.

Oliver put one plus one together. The inappropriate use of language and the familiar cynical voice kind of gave him away. "Jake?"

"Who else could it be?" Jake said, sounding irritated.

Oliver rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up slowly. "What...? What time is it?"

"It's four-thirty," answered Jake casually.

At that, Oliver's sat straight up in bed, not thinking much of it. "In the afternoon?!" He couldn't believe he slept all day. Was he really _that_ tired? If he was, than why was he still feeling so exhausted? And why was everything around him so dark? Were his blinds closed?

"No... _a.m._," Jake cleared up.

Oliver sighed, feeling slightly relieved that he can go back to sleep peacefully and slumped back down to his pillow, trying not to get annoyed with his friend. "Okay, Jake, I'm hanging up now. Call me at a decent hour when my brain will know who's the current president, so I can yell at you then."

"No, no, no! I want an explanation _now_!" Jake demanded, not giving up.

Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes tight. "And I want an explanation to why you won't let me sleep?!"

"Crabby, aren't you?"

"Jake, I swear to God –"

"Just when were you exactly planning on telling me it happened?"

Oliver buried his head under his pillow, wishing he could seriously beat up Jake right now. He groaned loudly, but Jake went on, ignoring Oliver's annoyance. "I thought I'll be the first one to know, you know, me being your best friend and all, but no, everyone else has to see it first, on national television, no less. And besides, I thought you'll be over the moon about this. Was the sex at least good?"

Oliver still couldn't understand what Jake wanted from him at this crazy hour of the night. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"You kissed Lilly!" Jake accused.

Oliver sighed, wanting this pointless conversation to be over so he could go back to sleep. "Is this really what it's all about?" he asked furiously.

"Of course," Jake answered simply. "Now what do you have to say for yourself?"

"It was not a kiss."

He heard Jake laugh hollowly. "Yeah, right. I keep replaying that part for the past ten minutes. Your lips touched, you both closed your eyes. You kissed, end of story."

Something finally registered in Oliver's mind. "Wait a minute. You really mean it when you say you're seeing it on TV?"

"Yeah, I taped last night's game so I could watch it after I got back from my date with Julie."

"And where is Julie, by the way?" Oliver asked.

"She's in the bedroom," Jake answered carelessly. Oliver could picture him shrug.

"And you're... where?"

"In the living room."

Oliver could distinctly hear in the background the familiar call of _'That's the way to do it!'_ the announcer at the game had said after he and Lilly kissed earlier that night, and understanding that Jake was serious when he said he was replaying it over and over. "Let me tell you, I was not ready to see that. One minute I'm at the kitchen, the commercials were playing and I'm thinking I would let them play while I make myself a cup of herbal tea –"

"Isn't every tea herbal?"

"Shut up, let me finish. Anyways, I'm taking my time, and then they go back to the game, but first they have to show that kitschy Kiss Cam. I just took my first sip when they showed the last couple and you know what happened when I saw who they were?"

Oliver sniggered. "Herbal tea all over the floor?"

"No, on the carpet. Now you owe me a new one."

Oliver rolled his eyes. _As if_, he thought to himself. "Seriously, Jake, it was nothing."

"Bullshit!"

"I mean it. Nothing happened. They asked us to kiss, we agreed to give them a little show, as _friends_. It was only a peck. Besides, I'm gay, remember?"

"Oh, so now you're okay with throwing the 'I'm gay' card at me, but yesterday you wouldn't shut up about how you are completely straight."

Oliver sighed again, itching to hang up. "Can we talk – or _not_ talk – about this later?"

"Oh, we'll talk about it, alright. You owe me details and you better not skip anything."

"Sure thing, gossip girl."

Oliver didn't wait for any more 'small talk'. He shut off his phone, closed his eyes and snuggled back into his pillow.

–––

Feeling a little cranky since he didn't get much sleep after Jake's call, Oliver reluctantly dragged himself out of bed much earlier than he expected to wake on a Saturday morning.

Shuffling his way to the bathroom, all Oliver was thinking of was having a warm shower to get rid of his exhaustion. He had a restless night, full of bothersome dreams about Lilly and Jake's call earlier didn't help him get any rest, either. He took off his clothes and stepped into the shower as his mind was still reeling on the events from last night.

Adjusting the water temperature just right, Oliver shoved his head under the hot spray and closed his eyes, trying to enjoy the pressure the water was casting on his back. Images of Lilly from last night flooded his mind without warning. They flashed before his eyes as though he was spinning on a carousel in a nightly festival, the shimmering lights and colors circling him and making his dizzy. He had to hold onto the shower's walls to keep him from tripping.

There were Lilly's eyes sending him a questionable look after he kissed her. The next second it was Lilly's voice that sounded somewhat disappointed when he reminded her why he couldn't like the kiss. And finally was the image of her snuggling and sniffing his jacket.

It was all too confusing. Oliver began wondering what would have happened if he never agreed to play along to Jake's plan. What would have happened if Lilly knew he was actually straight and that he was beginning to think of her in a way that he shouldn't be thinking of his roommate? He knew it was wrong and that he shouldn't go that way, but what if Lilly was sharing the same feelings? It was silly, he knew that. They knew each other for less than a week. She couldn't possibly feel this way. Oliver was trying to force himself to believe it was the female companionship that he missed, that it would've happened with any girl he'd spend some time with.

_"You're spending quite a bit of time in the office with Julie and you never thought of her this way,"_ a voice echoed in the back of Oliver's mind.

"Yes, but Julie's a bitch," he countered, not even realizing he was speaking aloud.

_"You said 'any girl',"_ the voice reminded him, and for some strange reason it sounded exactly like Jake's voice.

"I'm just lonely. It's really been a while since..."

Oliver's voice trailed off and he groaned with frustration. He fumbled blindly for the small shelf that held a selection of bottles and tubes. He grabbed the shampoo bottle, poured some of the thick liquid into his hand and began to massage it to his scalp. The small room quickly filled up with the hot shower steam and the soft scent of the shampoo. Oliver inhaled deeply, taking in the unfamiliar fragrance. It smelled fruity and perfumey and it smelled just like Lilly. Opening his eyes in surprise, he knew he'd find a different bottle of shampoo standing in front of him on the shelf than the one that he was used to. He snatched the bottle and read the label. "Apples. Great..." he muttered, and cursed silently at his mistake. Now he had to wash his hair all over again. He searched the shelf for the right bottle, but found that it was missing. It didn't take long, though, for him to get used to the scent and he couldn't lie to himself that he actually liked it. "Perfect! Could I get any gayer?"

But with the images of Lilly in his mind and her scent going through his nose, all thoughts of pretending to be gay left his consciousness and the wonderful moments he shared with Lilly for the past week replaced them. He never felt more masculine and proud to be straight.

It was impossible to push back the thoughts that entered his mind next. The moment they kissed in the game last night made him picture a different kind of scene: It was him and Lilly sharing an intense kiss, but they weren't at the game, they were sitting on their living room couch, just as they did two nights ago, sipping on red wine and just letting their feelings take over their actions. Lilly threw back her head and Oliver's lips traveled down her neck, planting butterfly kisses at the exposed skin, and making her emit a small, sexy moan in the contact.

Oliver cursed at his imagination. His whole body tensed up and a small pain in the middle part of his body began to build up. He had to take care of things quickly, right there in the shower; so he lowered his hand down to do the job, still picturing what would happen next.

His dream-self grabbed the hem of her tank top and helped her pull it over her head. His lips quickly resumed their previous actions at her neck, leaving dark marks at their wake that claimed her as his. His fingers, gentle but bold, slowly lowered Lilly's flimsy bra strap off her shoulder and revealed more creamy skin to kiss. Finally, his hands took control and snapped the bra open –

The fantasy faded away when Oliver finished quickly with a gasp. He breathed deeply, still the smell of apples swirling around him. As he relaxed, he began feeling even dirtier than before taking the shower.

"You're an asshole," he commented to himself and washed away the mess. He couldn't believe he's done it while thinking of Lilly. She was kind, funny and wonderful and now his dirty, horny mind had gone and ruined that image of her. How was he supposed to face her now after doing _that_?! She was his roommate! He will have to live with her and with this secret from now on and it won't be easy.

"No more of it," he scolded and turned off the water. The pipes inside the walls gave a squeak of protest.

He reached for a clean towel from the higher shelf. His fingers felt the soft fabric and realized it was another thing that belonged to Lilly. He wondered what happened to his own towel, the black one with the scratchy, overused fibers, or the rest of his stuff, for that matter.

Just when he was about to step out of the shower, the door to the bathroom suddenly opened, and Oliver quickly managed to duck back inside.

"Oops," Lilly said, but Oliver could see her silhouette through the steamy shower's glass, walking around the room. "Sorry, didn't know you are up."

"Lilly!" Oliver hissed, covering himself with the towel, even though he knew the shower glass was all fogged up and the steam that filled the room made it hard to see anything. "Get. _Out_."

"Oh, boo-hoo. It's not like it's something I've never seen before," she said in mock insult. Her voice was clear and fresh, signaling she'd been up for quite some time now. "I just came to pick up the dirty laundry. Do you have anything else that needs a wash?"

_"Other than my dirty, hormone-driven mind, you mean?"_ The voice inside Oliver's head asked and Oliver was glad he didn't say it out loud. He gritted his teeth, wishing she would just leave already. "No," he hissed.

"Alright, I'm out." The door closed and the room was filled with silence once more. Oliver sighed, glad she didn't walk in on him barely five minutes ago.

He wrapped the towel around his waist, before the door opened again and Lilly's head picked in. "By the way, there's a lock on the door, you know," she said and disappeared as quickly as she showed up. Her giggles echoed behind the hard wooden door and Oliver growled loudly, wishing he could throw something at her to keep her out. Living with a girl wasn't as simple as he originally thought. But he was glad that he could get annoyed with her. That way, it would be easier to suppress his current desire he had for her.

After he got dressed and brushed his teeth, he turned around to hang his used towel to dry. His face came face to face with a piece of clothing Lilly apparently forgot behind. He snatched it and marched to the laundry room.

But he stopped short at the sight that waited for him when he entered the room. "Oh dear," he blurted.

Lilly was bent over the laundry basket. She took the dirty laundry and shoved it inside the washing machine. Normally, Oliver wouldn't think any of it, but since he just had to jerk off to a mental image of her, things were bound to change, especially since she was now wearing nothing but a pink tank top and sky blue cotton boyshorts.

He swallowed thickly at the sight of her perfectly round bottom held high in the air and for a moment he wondered if she was doing it on purpose.

She didn't seem to notice him, so he cleared his throat loudly. She peeked at him from between her legs and Oliver shifted uncomfortably, wishing he wouldn't get aroused again. She would be horrified if she saw he was getting excited while watching her behind and she would surely kick him out of the apartment.

"You forgot this," he said, his voice hard. He knew his cheeks were flushed. The memory of his fantasy was still fresh in his mind.

A navy blue bra dangled from the tip of his finger by the strap; he was holding it away from him, as if it was infected. She straightened up and he threw it at her. "Don't leave your underwear hanging all over the place like that again. No one else but you needs to see them." He knew he was being an ass, but he forced himself to act like that because if he didn't, he'd be acting like the infatuated fool that he was. "And would you _please_ put something on? This isn't a strip club."

He span hard on his heal and walked back into the kitchen. As he prepared himself a cup of coffee, he pictured the hurtful look on Lilly's face and shut his eyes tight, taking a deep breath and hoping he didn't make her cry. He'd hate himself forever if he caused her to cry.

"Sorry, I didn't know it would bother you so much," Lilly said from the back room. Oliver was surprised her voice sounded so casual. "But you don't hear me complaining about your underwear, do you? Here I am putting them in the wash without snarling about it."

The washing machine began to pound as it started to work. Lilly walked out and passed by him without giving him much of a glance. Oliver knew he had gone too far. "I'm sorry. I just –" But she didn't pay attention to him. She simply walked over to her room and shut herself inside.

Oliver sighed. He left his coffee on the table and walked over to her door. "Lilly. Are you mad?"

The door opened in a quick motion after a minute and Oliver stepped back when Lilly appeared before him. She was now wearing a sweatshirt and long pajama pants instead. The fact that he now knew what she was wearing underneath, didn't help to soothe him much. "No, why would I be? You were right. It's just that that's how I used to dress around the house when it was just me and Miley. I didn't realize it won't be the same with you around. I'm glad you told me, though."

"I'm sorry, it's your home, too. You can wear whatever you feel comfortable with." For the life of him, he wished she didn't. He couldn't take another moment of her prancing around the apartment in her underwear like that. He would never stop those kinds of hot showers if she had.

She shook her head. "No, no. It's your apartment now, too. You should feel comfortable here and I wasn't doing a good job for helping you with that, and for that _I'm_ sorry. I'd be more careful from now on." Oliver nodded in agreement. Lilly's lips suddenly curved into a playful smile. "Besides, it's clearly you have a phobia of female underwear."

Oliver frowned. "I do not."

She raised her eyebrows, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Maybe that's one of the reasons that you're gay?"

Oliver rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but laugh with her. They settled their argument with a friendly hug. Lilly pressed her face in the crook of his neck and then began to sniff. "Did you use my shampoo?" she asked as she pulled away.

Oliver opened his mouth, but it took him a minute to retort. "About that... what happened to all of my stuff?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"My shampoo, my soap, my towel. Everything is gone."

"I put them on the shower's floor. There wasn't more room on the shelf. Did you not see them? And your towel was in the laundry basket. I just put it in the wash."

"Oh," Oliver said, now feeling stupid. "Well, there's another thing." He took a glance around the apartment. "Did you realize that everything around here is yours?"

She arched an eyebrow and they walked together to the living room. "What?"

"All of the furniture, the electronics, kitchenware and even the pictures – they're all yours. Everything that's mine is either in my bedroom or in the bathroom."

Lilly gave him a weird look. "You didn't bring anything else," she said slowly.

"It's beside the point, I could have –"

"Great," Lilly said cheerfully. "I don't mind. Like I said, this is your apartment, too. In fact..." She walked over to the bookcase behind the couch and held up a Polaroid camera.

Before Oliver saw what was coming, a flare of a light blinded him just when he took a sip from his coffee.

"Ugh, no," he grumbled, covering his eyes with his free hand.

"You asked for it!" Lilly said and snapped another picture of him.

"Stoooppp!" he called, a chuckle escaping his mouth.

"What's a better way to start decorating our apartment, than to fill it with pictures of the two of us?"

"I'm okay with pictures of the two of us, but not just of me."

He turned to her, grabbed the camera backwards so the lens was facing them and raised it high. He and Lilly leaned their heads together and smiled as he took a photo. The camera buzzed and the picture came out. Oliver shook it and then showed it to Lilly. They both waited for the image to appear.

"Oh God! I look stoned!" Oliver whined.

Lilly giggled. "I look fine," she said, sounding pleased. "And so do you." She went to return the camera to its place.

"Seriously? Look, I have dark circles under my eyes. Let's take another one. There's bad lighting in here."

"No, I like this one. Give it to me, I'll frame it," she said, holding out her hand to him.

Oliver suddenly felt self-conscious. "No way. I'm not putting a troll-like picture of me in the living room."

Lilly put her hands on her hips. "Just a minute ago you complained you don't have any pictures in here, and now that you do, you complain they're not good. Stop acting all girly and give me the photo."

"I will. I'll just get it airbrushed first."

Lilly laughed. "Fine. There are two perfectly scandalous pictures of you right here," she said and picked up the previous two pictures she took that fell to the floor.

Oliver launched at her, trying to grab the pictures from her hand. "No!" Lilly giggled and managed to escape from him. They ran around the living room, Oliver chasing after her, while she took advantage of her small figure to get away from him. "Come here! Lilly! I swear, if you put those pictures up, I will –"

"You will _what_?" she challenged with one eyebrow raised in curiosity.

He stopped short of breath and looked at her, the low coffee table standing between them. He tried to think of a good enough of a threat. Finally, he smirked evilly. "I'll delete all of the episodes of Desperate Housewives off the TiVo."

Lilly gasped. "You wouldn't!"

He quickly grabbed the remote control from the table and turned on the TV. "Hand me the pictures and the Housewives survive."

She narrowed her eyes. "We'll trade. You give me the one you have and you get these two," she said, waving the pictures in her hand.

"You're in no place to negotiate!"

"I can always dye the rest of your clothes in pink," she informed him confidently, folding her hands over her chest.

He clenched his jaw and studied her carefully. She didn't seem like she would lie about it. He knew she was able to do it and he really didn't want to risk testing her. He sighed. "Fine!"

They exchanged the pictures and Lilly smiled with satisfaction, while Oliver tore up the other two.

"Oh God, you do look awful in this!" she suddenly called. Oliver's head whipped around to her, but she simply gave him a wink as she put the picture in a frame on the TV unit.

"I hate you," he growled and she laughed heartily.

"Oh, that's not true. You know deep down you secretly love me," she said.

She walked over to him, gave him a quick peck on the cheek and snatched the remote control from his hand. She sat down on the sofa and began watching another episode of Desperate Housewives.

And Oliver just stood there, thinking over what she just said and wondered if what she said could actually be true.

–––

That very evening, while Lilly was in the bathroom, getting ready to go out with her friends, Oliver ended up dozing off on the couch. The TV was on, now playing some sort of an old movie on low volume. No wonder he fell asleep...

A sudden set of loud poundings on the door woke him with a start. Oliver rushed to the door as quickly as he could and peeked through the peephole. He sighed heavily before he unlocked the door, preparing himself from what was about to happen next.

He opened the door and stood back to let Jake in. Jake entered in a smooth walk, his strong aftershave following his trace.

"What's up?" Oliver asked casually, knowing by now that Jake won't fall for it. He closed the door after him and watched closely for his friend's reaction.

"Don't _'What's up'_ me," Jake said dismissively, shoving Oliver's shoulder hard. "You shut off your phone, you dick."

Oliver shrugged innocently. "It's my day off, I wanted some quiet time."

Jake nodded, his expression showing his evident disbelief. "Yeah, some quiet time with your new roommate lover, you mean."

"Shh!" Oliver hissed. "Lilly's here! She might hear you!"

Jake looked surprised. "So? She's part of this."

"No, she isn't," Oliver insisted. "I told you, nothing happened!"

"You seriously didn't sleep with her?" Jake asked, his voice now a whisper.

Oliver walked over to the kitchen, opened the fridge and took out a bottle of Coke. He poured two glasses and handed one to Jake. "She's my roommate, of course not."

Oliver exchanged a careful look with Jake. He knew Jake could read him like a book. After all, he wasn't that good of a liar. Jake suddenly gasped when he noticed the guilt creeping on Oliver's face. "But you want to!"

Oliver rolled his eyes, drank his Coke in one gulp and turned to the sink to wash his glass. Jake followed him, trying to make Oliver emit some sort of an answer. "Oliverrrr..."

Oliver's head snapped up and he glared at Jake warningly. "Don't."

He grabbed Jake's glass from his hands, not waiting for him to finish his drink, and spilled the untouched soda into the sinkhole before he began rinsing it, too.

"But I'm happy for you," Jake said, sounding genuinely pleased. "This is – It's good. It's about time, too."

Oliver scowled. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Jake grabbed a plum from the fruit bowl next to him, turned and leaned his elbows against the counter, and began tossing the fruit from one hand to another. "It means that it's really been a long time since you've been with someone, and one more week without sex and you might as well consider yourself a virgin again."

Oliver finished busing himself with the dishes and dried his hands in the kitchen towel. "Jake, I care for you, really, you're my best friend, but I think your hearing might be wonky. You should really see someone about it."

"Very funny," Jake muttered. He stared at the plum in his hands for a moment before he bit into it.

"Then hear me out. I didn't have sex with her and I'm not going to." Jake opened his mouth to argue, but Oliver interrupted before he could say anything. "Let it go."

They walked into the living room and sat together on the couch. Oliver began flipping the channels on the TV, not finding anything interesting to settle on.

"Wow. You've really living it up here, huh?" Jake said sarcastically. "You should really get an X-Box or something."

Oliver shrugged. "I can always come to your place and play with yours."

Jake took another bite off his plum. "Not tonight, though, I'm going out," he said while chewing.

Oliver looked him up and down, finally seeing for the first time since he entered that he's all dressed up. "Another date? Who is it this time?"

Jake sighed, sinking his teeth into his plum and finishing it in one large bite. "Julie."

Oliver was surprised. "You're going out with her _again?_ Is it serious?"

Jake chuckled. "Of course not. We just didn't get to talk much last night, if you know what I mean..."

Oliver shuddered at the thought, noticing a smirk spreading on Jake's lips. Thinking about his best friend and his office-mate together made him slightly sick. It wasn't that he disliked Julie. He _hated_ her. And the fact that Jake was going out with her two nights in a row, worried him. Usually Jake didn't bother asking the girls he went out with on second dates unless he found something different in them, and that, too, didn't go on beyond the third date. Oliver hoped this wasn't the case with Julie. He knew that Jake could find someone better.

"Wow..." he said slowly. "Well, good luck, I guess."

"Thanks. I'll talk to her about you tonight, don't worry," Jake added and for a moment Oliver forgot why he needed to come up as a conversation topic on their date, but then he remembered what happened yesterday at work and relaxed.

"Good. Make sure she'd be convinced."

"Well..." Jake said slowly, his voice turning slightly pitchy.

Oliver frowned and looked at him. "'Well' what?"

Jake scratched his chin and Oliver knew he was thinking whether to say it or not. "We did discuss it a bit yesterday."

"And...?" Oliver urged.

Jake bit the inside of his cheek. "She didn't quite believe me."

Oliver's eyes widened. "And what makes you think she will today?"

"Well, she suggested something."

Oliver's eyes squinted at his friend, not liking where this was going. "What?"

Jake looked as if he was preparing himself from being hit by Oliver the moment he will speak. He cowered in his spot and said carefully, "She said she would believe me if you go out with her friend."

Oliver blinked, not sure how to react. A date with a friend of Julie's. Great, that ought to be good.

He sighed, willing to get this over with. "Fine. When?"

"To...tonight?" Jake asked, his voice weak but hopeful.

"With the two of you?" Oliver asked and Jake nodded. "I don't think so."

The sound of a lock clicking came from the hallway interrupted them and the door to the bathroom opened. A cloud of heavy steam escaped the room and Lilly emerged out, all dolled up as she had been last night, only this time she was wearing a red mini dress and her hair was wet and pulled up into a tight ponytail. Oliver swallowed hard the lump that built at his throat at the sight of her. The familiar scent of apples slowly left the shower and Oliver could feel himself melting.

As she walked into the living room, she stopped at the sight of Jake sitting with Oliver on the couch. "Jake! Hi!" she said in surprise.

"Hey, Lilly," Jake said, raising a hand in a wave. "Nice seeing your face is not glued to this ugly one right here," he said teasingly, clapping Oliver on the shoulder. Oliver shrugged his arm off his shoulder in annoyance.

Lilly laughed lightly. "Oliver told you about that, huh?"

"Nope. Saw it on TV."

Lilly's face suddenly paled. Oliver twitched in his seat uncomfortably. "Oh dear," she muttered. "Maybe that's why my mum called me so many times. I need to call her back." She then turned to look at Oliver. "Prepare yourself, Oliver, she might want to meet you, just to make sure you're alright, but don't worry, I'll let her know you're just a friend and try to get you out of it."

Oliver shook his head. "Good, because I don't do parents."

"Apparently he doesn't do anyone these days," Jake added and yelped when Oliver shoved his elbow at his ribs. Lilly chuckled at the joke. "So... Going out tonight?"

She looked sheepishly at him. "Yeah. There's this party..."

"At Miley's," Jake completed her sentence, nodding in understanding.

"Yeah."

"Do you need a ride somewhere?" Oliver asked, interrupting the awkward moment and changing the subject.

Lilly turned to him, obviously surprised at the suggestion. "Um, no. I already have a ride," she said. "Thanks."

She opened her clutch purse and looked inside, as if checking if she forgot something, but Oliver knew she just did that as a distraction.

"Well, I got to go. Don't forget to leave the door chain unlatched. I'm probably gonna be out late tonight," she told Oliver as she walked to the door.

Oliver's gaze followed her. "Alright. Have fun!" He waved her goodbye and she left.

Jake straightened up, seeing the smitten look plastered on Oliver's face and chuckled. "Only roommates, huh? You were basically undressing her with your eyes."

"I was not," he denied flatly.

"Oliver, you're in too deep."

Oliver sighed. "I can't be feeling this way towards her, Jake."

Jake perked up. "You need a distraction, my friend. Come on, come with us tonight. It'd be fun. We're going to a bar. We'll have a few drinks, talk for a bit and let ourselves loose. By tomorrow we'll laugh it off."

"I don't know..." he hesitated. "Seeing Julie at work is more than enough, why do I have to endure her on weekends, as well?"

"Don't think about Julie. You'd be too busy with her friend to even notice her. Besides, I'd be busy with her, you won't even care."

Oliver didn't know if he should agree. Judging by Julie's slutty behavior, it wasn't hard to guess her friend was probably the same as her. Slutty women were definitely Jake's thing. Oliver never found it appealing. Then again, Jake was right. He needed to forget the sudden, unwanted feelings he developed towards Lilly and this was a good way of doing it.

"What do I have to do?" he finally asked Jake.

Jake rolled his eyes. "Jesus, Oliver, it's not a mission. Give it a try, maybe you'd like her?"

"I doubt it. Now, tell me."

Jake pondered for a moment before replying. "Just take her home with you."

"You mean –"

"I mean, it's time to pull out the Durex out of the drawer, Ol."

Oliver felt his throat begin to contract and he swallowed hard. Can he do this? He never has before. One night stands weren't his thing. He thought of the way Jake lived his life, noticing how happy and carefree he was, going from one girl to the next. Maybe it was time to live a little? Start new things? Hell, he was pretending to be gay; he needed to get a girl laid, so he won't get too used to the idea. And he didn't have any better plans for tonight. After all, it was only ten minutes ago that he was snoring on this very couch.

"Give me ten minutes to get ready."

Jake grinned, digging out his phone from his jacket's pocket. "I'll let Julie know."

–––

**A/N:** That's that for now. Next chapter is also gonna be a little intense. Hope you like it. As per usual, I'd like to read your thoughts, so write them below and I will upload the next chapter ASAP. Cheers!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hannah Montana.

–––

**A/N:** Wow! Thank you for all of the reviews, follows and favorites! I really appreciate them and I'm glad you like this story! :)

Now, for this chapter: I've actually finished writing it in one day, but I only uploaded it now because I went on a vacation and only just now got the time to go over it and found that it needed a bit of fixing because the events seemed to be a bit too rushed for me, so I hope I managed to make it better.

And I will have to apologize in advance. You will find this chapter a bit hard to read at first, but hang in there and read it through. This is a Loliver story after all. ;)

And one more note: I've never been to LA, and I didn't want to use actual locations, because it can go all wrong, so I made up some of them, so just go with it. ;)

–––

**Shooting Rainbows**

–––

**Chapter 7:**

"Are you sure –"

"Oliver, if you ask me if I'm sure one more time –"

"I just wanna –"

"You look fine!"

"But the shirt –"

"It doesn't make you look gay!"

"And the jacket? Isn't it too much?"

"Oliver!"

Oliver sighed and looked down at his attire, checking again to see that the shirt he wore was absolutely white and didn't have a hint of pink in it. He needed to clear all the false rumors Julie had spread about him at work. "Fine," he said dejectedly, still feeling a little apprehensive, not just about his looks, but also about going out tonight. He was still unsure that this was a good idea. He never been on a blind date before and he wasn't even sure what he was supposed to do or say as it's been so long since he'd been on _a_ date. He just hoped that things will go well, and if they didn't, he needed to think of an excuse to get home early.

Jake drove his silver Mercedes Benz to the bar they were supposed to meet the girls at. He shook his head at Oliver. "Seriously, you look nice. What's wrong with you all of the sudden? You were fine just five minutes ago."

"I'm just nervous," Oliver muttered. He lowered the sun visor in front of him and checked his face in the mirror, looking for unnoticed zits or if there was something stuck in his teeth. "What did you say her name was?"

Jake chuckled. "Does it matter?"

Jake drove through the streets of Hollywood. It was obvious he was very familiar with the area, but Oliver wasn't so much. He wasn't a high-life type of guy, like Jake was. His job paid him fairly, but still he wasn't wealthy enough to go shopping around here, and he wasn't the person to go out clubbing in dance bars and hook up with the typical LA girls, so he never found the appeal to drive through these streets before.

They arrived at a place called Amazonas. Loud music played from the interior and a line of people waited outside to enter. It looked as if the place was packed, and Oliver was already beginning to feel anxious. He never liked crowded places.

The girls were already waiting for them outside. Julie's hands snuck around Jake's waist. "Hey, Boo," she greeted him flirtatiously. Jake leaned in and gave her a long kiss, which made Oliver look away. He hoped he did a fine job hiding his disgust.

"Yum," Julie said as they pulled away and Oliver tried his best not to gag. "Oh, hey Oliver," she said, her voice suddenly changed and held a cold monotone attitude.

He faked a smile and mouthed 'hi' back. Oliver couldn't help but glance over at the girl who stood next to her, the friend that she suggested he will meet. As he predicted, she was an almost exact replica of Julie. He studied her from her toes up: starting with the shiny, six inch platform pumps, up to her well-toned long legs, to her tight black mini dress that was about two sizes too small for her; it was clear she only wore it just to accent her obvious fake boobs, as they almost spilled out of the garment; and finally his eyes landed on her face. It was covered with too much makeup for his taste, her lips were brushed with shiny pink gloss, her eyes were smoked with black eye shadow and her lashes were coated with too many layers of mascara. Her hair was unnatural sandy blonde and had bright highlights in it. Despite all that, she was very beautiful, he couldn't deny it. After all, he was a male and he wasn't blind. In Jake's rough words he could even define her as 'hot'. Oliver could never picture himself ever going out with a woman that looked like her. Not only because she wasn't quite his type, but because women like her usually never spared him a glance.

Oliver shifted slightly when his body began to appreciate her looks and he hoped his jacket was long enough to cover his groin. He took a deep breath to relax. "Hi, I'm Oliver," he said with a slight nod, trying to break any awkwardness.

She bit her bottom lip seductively in half of a smile and her eyes narrowed slightly as she took her turn to look him up and down. She swung her hips from side to side, obviously liking what she saw, to Oliver's great surprise and he couldn't help but blush at her reaction.

"I'm Bethany," she said.

Oliver nodded once more and gave her a small smile. "Nice meeting you."

Jake clapped his hands loudly. "Good, now that we all know each other, let's head inside," he said.

As they walked towards the entrance, while the girls began whispering and giggling to each other, Jake took the opportunity and leaned over at Oliver and whispered, "So?"

Oliver wasn't sure what to think yet. "What kind of name is Bethany?" he muttered to Jake. Not sure why, but it was all he could think about in that very second.

Jake laughed heartily. "The kind of name of a girl that puts out," he answered cheekily and nudged Oliver's shoulder. Oliver swallowed a lump that formed in his throat.

Jake left Oliver's side and caught up with Julie. He snuck a hand around her back as he guided her towards the door to the bar. Oliver shoved his hands into his pockets and he and Bethany followed them in silence.

Jake pushed his way through the waiting line, earning protests from the people who were there before him. He whispered something to the beefy-looking selector at the entrance. The guy nodded stiffly, muttered something into his walkie-talkie and let Jake through. Jake gestured with his head for Oliver and the girls to follow. As Oliver passed by the people in line, he knew he should feel delighted to receive special treatment for the first time in his life, but he knew it wasn't fair for them to cut in; even if Jake was famous, he shouldn't be using his name like that, and so he couldn't help but feel a bit bad for those people.

Jake was greeted by another guy inside, who introduced himself as Jeff, the manager. He had wavy black hair, dark beard stubble and whore a fancy black silk button down shirt. He walked them through the very crowded space and past the bar, to the other side of the building. Oliver realized this place was actually a dance club, rather than just a bar like Jake described, but he knew that Jake had to lie to get him to come, because honestly, if Oliver knew this was the case, he wouldn't have agreed to join his friend. The colorful laser lights flashed around and the crowd moved and danced heavily. He could feel the loud music booming through his body, mingling with each beat of his heart. He helped Bethany move easily among the thick horde, making sure no one will bump into them on the way. His hand moved securely to her waist in a gentlemanly way and she seemed to like it there, because her hand moved over his and held it close to her body. Oliver tried not to think much of it as they were led into a private room in the back, and Oliver guessed it was empty only because it was preserved for special guests like Jake.

The room was quite dark. It was only illuminated with stripes of LED pink and blue lights that circled the walls and a few candles that were placed on a low table that stood in the middle of a U-shaped leather couch. The music inside it was much more leveled and it was easier to talk to someone than it was in the main hall.

Oliver knew Jake was used to come to this kind of places, but in all the years he knew him, he never went along with him and never once had he seen with his own eyes his friend behave like the celebrity that he was, benefiting from his superstar status and earning special treatment, and it made him think that he never really considered Jake to be famous before. He was always just Jake, his friend, who he went to college with, and who happened to be working as an actor. He knew he shouldn't be surprised, though, because he knew Jake was living the highlife, but seeing and knowing were two completely different things.

Jake flopped down on one corner of the couch and Julie immediately rushed to sit by his side, circling her arms around him.

"What can I get you?" Jeff asked, obviously taking it upon himself to serve them, rather than leaving it to a waitress, or even letting them help themselves.

"I'll have a scotch. Make it a bottle," Jake said. "Oliver, what are you having?"

Oliver looked at his friend as he sat at another corner. Bethany mimicked Julie and sat by him; only to Oliver's great relief, she didn't cling to him as Julie did to Jake.

"Uhh... I'll just have the same."

Jeff nodded. "Wonderful. Girls?"

"I'll have a Cosmo," Julie said.

"Appletini for me," Bethany added.

Jeff nodded and left the room. For a second, Oliver wished he would have stayed, maybe that way it would have been easier to avoid Bethany, but on the other hand he needed to drink something quickly so he could ease up, so he hoped Jeff will be back soon.

Oliver noticed that Jake and Julie occupied themselves in an intimate embrace. Every now and then he heard Jake's voice mutter something and then Julie giggled in respond.

His eyes moved away the second they began to make out. Oliver hoped he wouldn't have to witness it anymore after tonight. If Jake says tomorrow that he couldn't break up with her, he would have to do it for him. He used to see Jake kiss girls all the time and it never bothered him like it did with Julie. He just couldn't stand the girl. He was only there to prove her wrong and make her correct the stories she spread about him to her friends around the office.

Realizing he wasn't doing a good job at it, he turned his eyes to Bethany and noticed she seemed rather bored.

"So..." he said and she glanced at him with curiosity. He didn't know how to start. "Bethany..."

"You can call me Beth. Everyone else does," she said. He nodded, thinking of something to say.

She scooted over closer to him and Oliver took a deep breath. He was beginning to regret touching her earlier. She might have gotten the wrong idea. The need for a drink began to grow. He needed a strong shot of alcohol _now_.

"Okay. _Beth_," he said, his voice getting slightly hoarse and he cursed himself for it. What was wrong with him? He was acting like he never talked to a woman before. He cleared his throat loudly, while at the same time wishing Jake would excuse himself for just a second from Julie's lips to help him out. Only he didn't. Oliver was on his own.

Luckily, he didn't need to finish his sentence because Jeff returned quickly, and Oliver made a mental note to himself to leave him a super generous tip for his fast service. He was holding up a tray of their drinks and a large plate of food they didn't order.

Jake and Julie finally broke apart as Jeff put the food and drinks on the table. "A complimentary plate, on the house, of course," he explained. He opened a brand new bottle of Jack Daniel's and looked over at Jake. "On the rocks, Mr. Ryan?"

Jake waved his hands in dismiss. "Neat for me."

The manager poured the amber liquid into a wide, clear glass. Jake took it and handed Julie her pink drink.

"And you, sir?" the manager asked Oliver, holding the bottle of scotch above another glass.

"Yes, thank you," Oliver said. He quickly grabbed the glass from the table, the cold ice cubes clunking softly inside. Bethany helped herself for her drink. Jake thanked Jeff and they were left alone once more. "Hmm... looks good," he said as he examined the food on the table. "Oliver, come here, have some."

Oliver noticed the plate was held a selection of sushi, shrimp cocktail and stuffed oysters. "Later," he said.

"You know, I read somewhere that oysters are aphrodisiac," Jake said, as though there was no hidden subtext behind his words. Oliver caught his gaze and Jake winked at him.

"Really?" Julie asked, sounding interested. "Then let me have some," she said and giggled. Jake chuckled.

Oliver rolled his eyes, managing more than fine with just his drink. As Bethany began eating an oyster, he took a large gulp of his whiskey, ignoring the way it burned down his throat. Normally, he would be fine with just a beer, but tonight he felt like he needed something stronger.

"So, where were we?" Bethany said in a seductive voice. To his great surprise, he suddenly felt her fingers beginning to play with the small hairs at the nape of his neck. He swallowed thickly and finished his drink in another gulp, hoping it will help him calm quickly.

–––

He really didn't know what was wrong with him. There he was, sitting with a beautiful woman, who might be drunk, but she was still nonetheless throwing herself at him and he couldn't help but feel a little put-off.

Why wasn't he just going for it? Could it be due to the fact that they weren't completely alone, even though Jake and Julie didn't even pay attention to them, as they were busy making out in the other side of the room, or maybe it was because he was a nice guy and couldn't take advantage of this girl like that? Maybe it was because he'd never done this before? All of this was new, unfamiliar territory for him and it truthfully scared him a little. Or maybe he _was_ gay? Because there couldn't be a logical explanation to his behavior other than maybe that there could be something else on his mind.

_"Or rather, _someone_ else on your mind,"_ said the annoying voice inside his head. Oliver thankfully was thinking of another girl, and not a man, so he could cross out the option of him actually being gay.

'No, don't go there,' he pleaded with himself. 'You're here because you need to forget about her. Think like Jake, think like Jake, _think like Jake._'

The alcohol didn't help calm his nerves like he hoped it would and he was still over-thinking things. The strong need for another drink was great, and he didn't held back from pouring more into his glass and swallowing it in one go.

As his mind began to fog, Bethany's hand traveled down his back and slowly came to rest on his thigh. "Are you okay?" she asked in concern, her voice echoing strangely, the music around him disappearing and leaving only the beats of it vibrating through his skin. Her body lightly pressed to his back and the mixed scent of alcohol and her spicy perfume entered his nose. She had three drinks already (her last one was Sex on the Beach, which made Oliver almost choke on the piece of sushi he chewed on when she ordered it) while this was Oliver's second. "You seem... distant. Talk to me?"

They haven't exchanged much information. He only learned that she's 22, two years younger than him, and that she's an aspiring actress, who moonlights as a waitress. _'Aren't they all...' _he thought bitterly.

Oliver shook his head, finally starting to enjoy the buzz of the alcohol on him. The feeling of her body against his and the pleadings of his brain to forget about anything else and just do what he came here to do, made him act. "I don't want to talk," he rasped.

Without thinking of it, he grabbed her and pinned her to him, his lips claiming hers furiously, making her emit a small, sexy sound from the back of her throat. He didn't even know what he did to make her want him in the first place. She seemed like she was one to sleep around, or maybe she just found his cold attitude towards her more appealing, he didn't know, nor did he care. Right now he was trying to focus, on her, on the kiss, and there shouldn't be anyone else on his mind right now but her. No other kiss should matter, other than this one.

Their lips moved together, their teeth clashed, their tongues brushed and it was sloppy and wet. Sort of imperfect. And yet all he could do was compare this kiss, this swap of emotions and need, a mark on a check-list he made for himself, or whatever it was, to the peck he had the night before with Lilly, the peck that may have been a little awkward, but flawless at the same time.

They pulled apart when the need for air got necessary. Bethany held his shoulders tight and he held her waist. She wavered slightly and he was sure that if they hadn't held each other, she would have fallen off. They locked gazes and there was a spark in her eyes that he knew the full meaning behind it. She didn't even have to ask him, but she did anyway. "Want to get out of here?" she asked, her voice heavy as she tried to settle her breathing back to normal.

Oliver could see from the corner of his eye that Jake was watching him. He looked at his friend and received a spurring nod in return. Oliver nodded back and then looked at Bethany, nodding to her now, and she smiled widely while excitement washed over her face.

He stood and pulled her up, helping her to steady on her feet as she almost lost her balance. He didn't know why she thought it would be smart to wear such high heels while going drinking, because those pair of shoes she wore should be considered suicidal right now, as she barely could hold herself up, let alone walk in them in a straight line. She linked her hands around his waist and Oliver pulled out his wallet to pay for their drinks.

"Go. I've got this," Jake said and gave him another wink.

Oliver nodded again in thanks and grabbed Bethany's hand as led her out. He passed by Jeff, the manager, on his way out. He didn't forget his earlier promise and shoved a 50 into his hand before taking off.

Once he and Bethany met the cold night air, Oliver found himself pressed to the wall behind the club and Bethany's hand and lips roamed all over his body.

"My place or yours?" she asked.

"Yours," he simply said, breathing shallowly. He didn't even want to think of the consequences if Lilly happen to see her in their apartment had he brought her there.

Her lips kissed his neck in a distracting way and Lilly evaporated from his mind once again. "I... I don't have a car." Not that he could (or should) drive in his state.

"Me neither. Let's take a cab."

They managed to find a taxi and ride it to her building. All through the ride, Oliver emptied his mind and tried to focus on just what was happening now. Their hands and lips never left each other and things got heated by the second.

Oliver couldn't even remember paying for the cab, but he guessed that he did because the driver took off instead of chasing after them, and he really didn't know how they managed to go up two flights of stairs without tripping. She didn't stop running her hands on his chest and kissing him all the way through.

They managed to find her apartment safely. Bethany pressed Oliver hard against the door and began to pull his shirt out of his jeans with one hand as she unlocked the door with the other. The door opened and crushed hard against the wall behind it. Oliver kicked it close and pushed Bethany inside. Still glued by the lips, they only stopped when they fell back onto the sofa.

Oliver groaned when she kicked off her shoes, straddled him and began to unbutton his shirt. She took control, which was something he wasn't used to in intimate situations like that, but the voice in the back of his mind tried to convince him to just let go and enjoy it. He knew nothing serious will come off out of this night, and even though he wasn't used to it, he decided to keep going. There was a first time for everything.

Her body was curvy and his hands traveled and explored, studying each curve, he ran them up and down her back and sides until they found her perfect round bottom and gave it a hard squeeze. She giggled at contact and a smile graced his lips in return. Her hands grabbed his and moved them to her front, ordering them to squeeze her breasts instead.

She helped him pull out of his jacket and shirt and threw them aside. When she lowered her hand to his jeans and unsnapped the button, that's when reality kicked in and he finally froze.

What was he thinking?! He can't do this! He didn't even know her, how could even have sex with her? Sex was something he always considered doing with someone he loved. When he had done it in the past, it _was_ with a woman he loved, but he didn't love Bethany. He wasn't the guy to sleep with someone and then go home and not call her back because they both got satisfied and there was nothing else to say.

He knew it was wrong of him to lead her into thinking something might happen, and at first he really believed he would do this, but now he just couldn't. He knew he should be considered lucky she even wanted him. That didn't happen often. He wanted to want her, but just couldn't bring himself to go through with it completely.

She sensed his lack of touching and she stopped her actions as well. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked down at him in question. "What's wrong? Why are you looking like that?"

Oliver knew he must have scared her. The anxiously he felt must have reflected on his face. He felt the blood leave his face (as well as the lower portion of his body) and knew he must be looking pale. Her eyes studied him and he looked back into hers, noticing for the first time since they met that they were green. They were the wrong color, he noted. The eyes he was supposed to be seeing are blue, not green. Her hair was a different shade of blonde, her lips were much fuller, and her cheekbones were more prominent. She didn't smell of apples, or felt right in his arms. He felt like something was missing. What felt right at first now became a huge mistake.

He couldn't believe he was saying this, but yet the words left his mouth. "I'm... I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper. His hands rubbed her arms gently up and down.

She looked at him, trying to understand what she might have done wrong, but nothing in his eyes will give her an answer.

He pushed her gently off of him as he sat on the sofa and rubbed his face. "I can't do this. I can't sleep with you," he said as he stared blankly into space.

She sat next to him, looking confused. "Is it something I did?" she asked quietly. "I can –"

Oliver shook his head. "No. No, it's not you. My mind... it's just elsewhere." He looked at her and noticed her disheveled look. He raised a hand to smooth her hair. "Besides, I respect you too much and you should start respecting yourself, too. Other men won't respect you unless you respect yourself first, and they especially won't respect women who give it too easily."

He stood and went to pick up his discarded clothes from the floor. As he pulled them on, he watched her, obviously battling with herself about what he just told her.

She finally looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "Thank you." She walked with him to the door. He walked out and turned back to look at her before he left. "I didn't look for someone nice and I really hoped to get more than that tonight, but I still had a great time. Are you sure you don't want to stay? We don't have to do much."

Oliver shook his head politely. He ran a hand on her cheek and gave her a small smile. "You take care, Beth." He took a step back and she closed the door behind him. He sighed, thinking about how he just dodged a bullet, but at the same time he just got himself into a deeper mess. Despite all his efforts, Lilly refused to leave his mind.

"Stupid Kiss Cam..." he muttered.

–––

Oliver fumbled with his key in the lock, his mind still a little fogged from the alcohol. After a few tries, he finally managed to open the door. He walked in and blindly felt for the light switch, but even when he pressed it, the light didn't turn on. He was sure he wasn't that drunk to forget where the light switch was. He tried it several times, playing with it, pressing up and down, but nothing happened and he still remained in the entrance of his pitch dark apartment.

He sighed, kicking off his shoes where he was sure was their usual place, and locked the door behind him. "Lilly, what have you done?" he whispered to himself, wondering why the power was out.

He slowly made his way through, taking small steps and reaching forward blindingly and hoping he wouldn't knock things over. He didn't do a good job at it. He crashed into the couch and banged his toe against it. "Oww!" he yelled in pain and began jumping in place while holding his foot. This action wasn't a good idea to do in the dark, either, especially not while being slightly intoxicated, and he slipped and hit his butt hard. "Fuck!"

"AHHH!" A loud scream filled the room and Oliver was startled at the dark silhouette of someone swinging a long object at him. He screamed and dodged the impact, managing to roll on the floor just in time before the object hit his head.

Oliver quickly grabbed his phone, pressed a button and the screen illuminated the room at once (Why hadn't he thought of it before?), one hand holding the phone high in the air, while the other protected his face from getting hit.

Lilly's figure appeared from the shadows; she breathed heavily and held her hand to her chest when she realized it was only Oliver in front of her.

"Oliver?"

"Lilly!" he gasped when he realized it was her. "What the hell is that?!" he gestured towards the weapon she just tried to hit him with.

"A baseball bat. A girl can never be too careful." She put the wooden bat aside and helped him up. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you. The power went out and I heard noises so I hid in my room in case it was a burglar."

Oliver straightened his clothes. "No, just plain, old me. So what happened? Why is the power out?"

Lilly shrugged. "I don't know. I came home and found it like this."

"Did you check the fuse box?"

Lilly plainly stared at him, her face blank. "I have no idea what it is."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "Well, it's a box, with fuses and electricity wires."

"Ohh! Is that what that thing is? It's behind the washing machine."

It was now Oliver's turn to stare at her. "You put the washing machine next to the fuses? What if there was a leak? You could have been electrocuted! Do we have a flash light?" He moved over to the kitchen, searching in the drawers, but he didn't find anything.

"Not that I can remember," Lilly said.

At the most inconvenient time, the light from his phone went out as the battery died. "Great... I need light," Oliver said and ran a hand through his hair.

"Oh, I know!" Lilly rummaged through the top kitchen drawer and pulled out a box of matches. Oliver opened his mouth to say that a match wouldn't burn for long and they will waste the whole box and still not accomplish anything, but he stopped himself when he watched her rush over to the living room and begin to light up all of the candles she kept on the window seat. She began scattering them around the apartment and they gave the room a dimmed glow. Oliver smirked, surprised at her idea. She brought over a large candle that gave the brightest light and handed it to him. "Careful, so it won't drip on you."

"Brilliant," he said. He grabbed the candle and took a sniff when a sweet scent entered his nose. "Really, Lilly? A scented candle?"

She pouted and put her hands on her hips. "That's all I have and it's the best we've got."

He rolled his eyes again, but then saw she was holding the baseball bat at the ready again. "Put it down!" he ordered.

She lowered it down, but a strange, scratchy noise left the washing room and she raised it back up at once. "Did you hear that?" she hissed, her voice quivering a little.

"I did," he whispered back. "Stay here." The same noise was heard again and Lilly whimpered involuntarily. Oliver pressed his finger to his lips to shush her. He took the bat from her, stretched his fingers tight around it, and entered the washing room in silent. Illuminating the room with the candle's light, he scanned it carefully, but the room was empty. "There's no one in here," he informed Lilly and she peeked through the door at his doings. He put the bat aside and carefully pushed aside the washer and gave a look. "Well, there's no leak, so we didn't blow a circuit."

Oliver bent down and checked the fuses and wires, sensing a smell of burnt plastic and rust. He aimed the light to see better and found that all of the wires were torn in half. "What happened here?" he muttered to himself. He stood up and walked out. He began rubbing a hand on Lilly's shoulder to calm her. "Everything is ruined; we will have to fix it tomorrow."

Once again, there was a scratchy noise from behind them and suddenly, a dark ball escaped the washing room. It darted between Oliver's legs and ended up hiding behind the fridge.

Lilly jumped and held Oliver tight. "What was that?!"

"I think it was a... rat." Sure enough, they could now hear squeaking sounds coming from behind the fridge. Oliver had an idea, which surprised him that he could even think this straight with the residues of alcohol still in his system. "Quick, get a bucket."

Lilly rushed to the bathroom while Oliver dished out a fork from the drawer, a loaf of bread from the kitchen cabinet and a large plate from the dish rack. Lilly returned with the bucket and handed it to him. All the while, Oliver's eyes were fixed on the place where the furry little creature had escaped to.

"Get me my sneakers," he instructed her as he tore a small piece of bread.

"You're not going to throw them at it, aren't you?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Of course not," he dismissed. "Those are brand new Adidas." At that, Lilly rolled her eyes.

She gave him the shoes and he immediately began to free the laces. He tied them together in each end, and tied one lace to the end of the fork. He put the piece of bread in the middle of the plate and placed it on the floor, and then he positioned the bucket upside down while he kept it up on one edge by the prongs of the fork. The trap was ready. Oliver motioned for Lilly to move back.

They stood at the entrance of the kitchen and waited. After a few minutes that nothing happened, Lilly yawned. "It knows we're here. It may take awhile until it comes out," she stated. "We can't stand here all night."

Oliver sighed. "You're right. What should we do?"

"Wait," she said and walked over to her room, and came back with one of her knitting threads. She tied it to Oliver's shoelace and rolled it carefully over to the living room.

"I really admire the way you can come up with ideas at this hour of the night," he said and she gave a shy chuckle at the compliment. They sat together on the couch, watching the bucket carefully.

"Did you have fun tonight at the party?" Oliver asked, while trying to pass the time.

Lilly yawned again and nodded. "It was fine."

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Just fine?"

"It was Miley's party. I've been to hundreds of them already. They're basically all the same."

Oliver tried to stifle his own yawn, but with no luck. The various sweet, aromatherapy scents of the candles that filled the apartment, the late hour of the night and the mix of alcohol in his blood, started to make him feel sleepy. "When did you get back?"

"About twenty minutes before you did. I had to help her clean up."

Oliver frowned at that. "Clean up? Where was this party at?"

"At her house. It was sort of her house-warming party. Well, you can say it was more than just 'fine.' I had a nice time, actually. It was great seeing all our friends from high school and college again."

Oliver nodded and he leaned his head back. She slowly leaned against him and rested her head on his chest. He didn't mind. On the contrary, he held her closer and a small, content smile spread on his lips. _'This is how it should feel,'_ he told himself.

"But I missed you there. I wish you had come with me. Miley wanted to meet you."

"Oh, really? You should have told me, I would have come."

"I'm sorry."

"That's okay," he said. He began running his fingers gently up and down her arms and she sighed.

"Next time I will."

"Next time I will come."

She hugged him tight and buried her face in his neck. He heard her sniff and laughed. "What's with you and sniffing me?"

Lilly pulled back and Oliver noticed she held a suspicious look on her face. "Why do you smell like Chanel No.5?" she asked with a frown.

Oliver gulped at her words, realizing Bethany's perfume must have stuck to him. "Uhh... I'm not. It's vanilla, or whatever you lighted in here that you smell," he said and added a weak chuckle. He gestured towards the candles she left around the room.

Her eyes narrowed. "It's patchouli and lavender and it's not what it is. I know what I smell. My mum always wears this perfume and it's coming from you."

Oliver chuckled. "Pffts. You're way too tired, Lills. You're starting to imagine things." She ignored the new nickname and eyed him doubtfully. Oliver tried to think of a better excuse. "Look, I had a bit to drink, so maybe that's what you smell?" She didn't look convinced and her eyes studied him. Oliver began to feel sweaty and nervous at her gaze. Lilly couldn't find out that he lied to her, not after he was now starting to feel something for her. Finally, he came up with something different. "Oh, you know what? I think I know what it is. I went out with Jake and his date got really drunk, so I helped him carry her to his car. It must be her perfume."

He looked at her carefully, trying to read her face. She just nodded, finally believing the story he just told her. He hated lying to her, but it was best she won't know the truth. At least, for now. She laid her head back on his chest and Oliver listened to her rhythmic breathing. They slowly began to even and Oliver knew she fell asleep. He didn't want to move and wake her, so he just let her lay on top of him. He didn't mind, he loved having her so close to him. He sighed in comfort and closed his eyes, letting sleep overtake him, as well.

–––

It was about an hour later that Lilly woke up. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself asleep on the couch, while pressed to Oliver's chest.

She studied him carefully, her eyes slowly going over his features, scanning the fresh stubble on his jaw and how his pupils moved behind his closed eyelids in his peaceful sleep. She blinked the sleepiness out of her eyes and wondered what it was that woke her up. She was too comfortable to wake up on her own.

A sudden movement in the kitchen alerted her. She raised her head up and watched as the rat slowly came out from its hiding spot and began to chew on the piece of bread Oliver left for it, softly making noises as it ate.

She quickly nudged Oliver. He gave a soft snore and woke up with a start. She smirked, but pressed a finger to her lips and then pointed silently to the kitchen. Oliver slowly turned around, careful not to make sudden movements. He grabbed the long string from the floor and pulled, making the bucket fall to the floor loudly and capture the rat inside.

"It worked!" Oliver chortled as they jumped to their feet.

They rushed over to the kitchen, watching as the rat scratched the walls of the bucket and made it move around. Oliver held it tight so it couldn't escape. Panicked squeaks came from within the bucket.

"Oh, poor thing," Lilly cooed. She looked up at Oliver. "What are you gonna do with it?"

"I'm gonna drown it," he said simply. He held the plate to the bucket and carefully flipped them. He removed the plate and looked at the little rodent that tried to escape the high walls of the bucket with no success.

Lilly's eyes widened in horror. "No! Oliver, you can't! You said you wouldn't kill it."

"No, I said I wouldn't throw my shoes at it, and I didn't. Lilly, this thing crapped all over the kitchen floor, chewed on the electricity wires and will probably go tell its friends what a nice place it found to chill out in, so tomorrow they will plan a mass invasion to our kitchen. I'm sorry, but we have to kill it. I'm gonna let the landlord know tomorrow that we have a rat problem. We need to call an exterminator."

"Oliver, we don't have a rat problem. We have _a mouse_. One, poor, tiny mouse. Look at it. It's so scrawny, weak and old, and it's probably scared. It doesn't look good. I bet it's hungry. You can't kill it. Please, please don't kill it."

Oliver sighed, finding it hard to say 'no' to her. "What do you suggest we do with it, then?"

"Leave it tonight in the bucket with some bread and we'll set it free in hills tomorrow morning."

"Fine." He did as she suggested and she looked pleased. He left the bucket in the bathroom and closed the door, just so it wouldn't run off if it managed to escape the bucket.

"Thank you, Oliver," she said and hugged him tight. "Goodnight."

He couldn't help but smile when he hugged her back. "Goodnight."

–––

**A/N:** So... what do you think? Don't forget to leave me a review on this chapter. I'm starting to work on the next one right now. :)

By the way, I don't know if I mentioned it before or not, but if you want to stay up to date with this story, visit my Tumblr (username is LittleSinner87), I post updates (and much more) in there. :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hannah Montana.

–––

**A/N:** I bet some of you noticed the new cover art for the story. I thought it looked better. Also, same as I did for my previous story, I posted the **soundtrack** for this story on my Tumblr. Go check it out (username is LittleSinner87) and tell me what you think. Some of the songs are hints to what is going to happen in future chapters. Listen to them and tell me your best guess as to what you think is going to happen next. I love reading your comments and suggestions, they motivate and inspire me, so keep them coming. Who knows, I might use them. ;)

Now go read chapter 8. All I can say is "Uh, so the plot thickens..." (as I waggle my fingers mischievously together, bwhaha). You'll see what I mean. Enjoy! ;)

–––

**Shooting Rainbows**

–––

**Chapter 8:**

Oliver walked into the kitchen the next morning and stopped abruptly when he found a new object sitting on the kitchen counter: a fully equipped hamster cage. Inside, on the little hamster wheel, was exercising none other than the old rat he and Lilly had captured last night. The wheel screeched as the furry, grey rodent ran on it with no purpose. Oliver glared at it with distaste.

"LILLY!" he called, still rooted in place, watching the cage from the entry to the kitchen.

However, Lilly was nowhere to be found, and Oliver needed answers.

The rat stopped running about and began to munch loudly on a piece of moldy cheese.

Oliver made himself move. Ignoring the new tenant in their apartment, he went to prepare himself a cup of coffee, but remembered the power in the apartment was still out, so the milk might have gotten bad by now and the coffee machine couldn't work, either. Just when he was about to turn back to his room to change so he could go out and buy some coffee at Starbucks, the door to the apartment opened and Lilly walked inside. She was breathing heavily and looked sweaty. Her hair was swept up into a high ponytail and she had her iPod earphones tucked into her ears. She took off her sneakers and Oliver noticed she was wearing a thick sweatshirt and black tights and guessed she went out for a run.

She didn't seem to notice him when she took the earphones out of her ears. "Good morning," he said and she jumped with a start, her hand holding her chest. He smirked at her; serves her right for startling him last night while aiming a baseball bat at him.

"Jesus Christ!" she screamed. "Oliver! Don't do that! I thought you were still sleeping."

"No, your new little pet woke me up," he said bitterly, eyeing the cage next to him. The grey little creature began to squeak just then, emitting the same annoying sound that made Oliver wake up. "Care to explain why the rat we were supposed to get rid of today is in a cage on the kitchen counter?"

She sighed. "Fine, but don't freak, just hear me out."

Oliver folded his hands over his chest and waited. "This ought to be interesting."

"It's my hamster's old cage. I thought that Betty looked a bit miserable in the bucket, so I took her out and put her in it. She kinda likes it there."

"Betty? You named this little reptile _Betty?_"

"Oliver, shhh!" she hissed as she walked into the kitchen and put her hands on either side of the hamster cage, as though blocking sound from entering the cage. "She might hear you! She's a rodent, a mammal, if you prefer, not a reptile!"

"But 'Betty'? How do you even know it's a girl?"

"I don't know for sure, but I thought she needed a name and Betty seemed suitable."

Oliver sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair. "Lilly, you can't raise it as a pet."

Lilly gave him a gloomy pout, her eyes getting bigger and glassy. "Why not?"

"Because it –"

"_She!_"

Oliver rolled his eyes. "– _She_, is a pest. She can bite and bring diseases and if it is a female, she might even give birth to more mice. Besides, you said we'd set her free."

"Oliver, look at her. She doesn't have much more to live, anyway. Do you really want to cut her life short before its time? If we set her free now, she can get eaten by cats or get run over by a car or die from hunger and dehydration. Do you really want her death to be on your hands?"

He sighed again, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Fine! But you're keeping her in your room and she doesn't ever to leave the cage."

Lilly cracked a smile and threw her arms around his shoulders in a tight hug. "Thank you, Oliver!"

She lifted the cage off the counter and carried it to her room.

"You didn't bring any coffee with you by any chance, did you?" he called over.

"Nope, sorry!" she called back.

"Perfect..." he muttered. He walked over to the fridge and opened it, thinking of having warm orange juice instead, but a strong musty smell overpowered him and he had to take a step back and cover his nose while he closed the fridge shut. "Dear God! It smells like something died in there."

He went to change his clothes and grabbed his car keys, going out to get some new groceries and planning on notifying the landlord about the power situation on his way.

–––

When Oliver got home, with his hands full of groceries bags, the power in the apartment was already fixed. He was surprised the landlord had managed to fix it in such short time; it wasn't even a full hour since he let him know about it.

He walked over to the kitchen and threw all the bags onto the kitchen table. A toolbox that obviously didn't belong to Lilly nor was it his, stood open on the floor. He went to check the fridge and was glad it was now cold again and didn't have a rotting smell to it anymore, even though it was now empty of all its previous contents. He ignored the toolbox on the floor and began filling the new groceries into the fridge.

"You must be Oliver," someone said from behind and Oliver turned around and found himself facing a strange man, who stood by the doorway to the wash room.

He looked about Oliver's age. His skin was well tanned and it was evident he was working out regularly, as his abs and muscles bulged through his white, sweaty tee. He had light brown hair and green eyes and he fit well with the Californian crowd. He cleaned his hands and forehead on his shirt, revealing a well-developed six-pack, and extended his hand to Oliver. "Hi, I'm Kevin."

_'The electrician,'_ Oliver noted to himself. He grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. "Of course, nice to meet you." Oliver went back to filling up the fridge. "So I see everything is fixed now. You worked pretty quickly. I'm impressed."

Kevin put all of his screwdrivers and tools into his toolbox and closed it. He rose up and began helping Oliver with the groceries. Oliver smiled at him in gratitude, even though he wasn't sure why he did that. "Yeah, it wasn't as bad as it looked."

They finished stacking the fridge. Oliver closed it and turned around, his hand reaching for his wallet, planning on adding a generous tip. "So how much do I owe you?"

Kevin chuckled. "You don't owe me anything."

Oliver frowned slightly. "Oh, so the landlord already paid you?"

Kevin shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "Nah. He stopped by earlier to take a look, but I told him I've got everything under control."

Oliver's frown increased, now getting a little puzzled. "I don't understand..." he said slowly.

Lilly suddenly entered the apartment. Oliver didn't even know she went out. He was confused to why she left a strange man in their apartment while she was out. She couldn't be that careless, could she?

She sighed heavily as she walked in. "Phew, that was a lot of garbage to dispose of..." she said and then looked up. "Oh, good, Oliver, you're back. I see you two already met."

Oliver ignore her and eyed Kevin strangely. "Who are you...?"

"I'm Kevin," he said again, this time in a matter-of-factly tone. He flashed Oliver a perfect white-teeth smile and walked over to Lilly. He wrapped his bulky hand around her slim shoulders and held her close. "Lilly's boyfriend."

–––

Oliver blinked several times, a blank expression masking his face. He stared wide-eyed at the man before him. Surely he hadn't heard right...

"What...?" he asked feebly, but it seemed as if he was unheard by Lilly and her... _boyfriend_.

"Well, babe, I've gotta go," Kevin told Lilly. "I will see you later," he said and leaned down to plant a small kiss on her lips, which she returned gladly. Oliver had to look away. So many things went through his mind. He was dreaming, he must be; this was some kind of nightmare that he needed to wake up from. He pinched himself and flinched at the pain, but the fact that Kevin was there hurt more; he was as real as everything else around him was.

So many questions filled his mind. Boyfriend! How could she have a boyfriend? How come she never mentioned him before? Where the hell did he came from and why now?

"Okay," Lilly told Kevin sweetly, a small smile spreading on her lips. She said goodbye to him at the door and closed it when he left. She walked back into the kitchen and looked at Oliver expectantly. "So... what do you think of Kevin?"

Oliver stared at her for a moment, unsure if she really just asked him that. His hopes and dreams just shuttered right before his eyes. How was he supposed to answer that question now? He just realized he was beginning to have feelings for her, and despite his attempts to ignore them because they were roommates, those feelings only intensified each day. "I don't know..." he finally said, his voice drawling. He still found it hard to believe that there was even _a_ Kevin in the first place. "I don't really know him. In fact, it's really weird that you've never mentioned him before."

Lilly blushed and averted her gaze. "Well, he wasn't exactly around until now."

Oliver frowned. He needed answers. "What do you mean? Where was he? Fighting overseas?" he asked rhetorically.

"I meant we weren't together," she clarified.

"Oh," was all he could say. Still, it didn't answer where he came from. Pieces of the puzzle slowly came together and he could finally see the bigger picture. "He was your ride to the party last night, wasn't he?"

She nodded. "Yeah, he was. He called me yesterday and told me he was also going to the party and suggested to pick me up. We go way back. We met in college and began dating then. It's been complicated. It's still is. We've been in an on-and-off relationship since then."

"And now you're 'on' again?"

Lilly shrugged, as if it was the most natural thing. "Yeah, sort of, I guess. We've talked about things; where we left off, why we split in the first place and how we make it work."

Oliver couldn't help but chuckle. It was a painful laugh and he knew it came out sounding broken. The situation couldn't turn more awkward for him.

Lilly studied him. "Are you okay?"

Oliver felt his knees start to wobble. He sat down at the dining table before he'd stumble to the floor. He gripped the edge of the table hard, his nails digging hard into the wooden surface, leaving small half-moon dents in it. "Yeah. So why did you break up last time?" he asked, pulling off a cool façade and quickly changing the topic.

Lilly sat down next to him. Her hands began to play distractedly with one of the apples they kept in a fruit bowl on the table. She bowed her head and avoided his gaze when she answered. "He wasn't really faithful."

That did it for Oliver. He just couldn't pretend any longer. He was not okay with any of this. Feeling more than livid, he banged his fist on the table, making Lilly jump and the wood to creak in response. "And you just took him back after that?!" he yelled. He wasn't even able to control his rage anymore. "What makes you think he won't do it again?"

Lilly looked up and stared at him. Her face had a mixed look of fright and anger. "He promised me he'd changed, that it would be different this time."

Oliver stood up abruptly, knocking his chair back. He started pacing around the room, not bothering to pick it up. "And you believe him?"

Lilly gaped at him, clearly not understanding Oliver's odd behavior all of the sudden. "I have to. I –"

"– love him?" Oliver asked painfully, his throat contracting at the words. Lilly's only respond was to turn her gaze away again. "Lilly, how could you be so stupid?" he called brusquely.

Lilly frowned and watched him walk around the room. "Excuse me?" she demanded, her voice held an infuriated note to it.

Oliver ignored her, continuing his rant. "That's what they always say, Lilly –"

"How can you say that? You don't even know him, Oliver!" Lilly shouted. She stood up and leveled him. For the first time ever since they met, Oliver noticed they were almost the exact same height; maybe he was two inches taller. "And besides, how _dare_ you shove your nose at matters that don't concern you? You don't even know the whole story. You don't know _anything!_"

He gave a hollow laugh at looked pityingly at her. "I know all the stories, Lilly. They never end well."

"Then let me live my own mistakes. Don't tell me how to run my life! You're not my brother!"

"Thank God for that!"

She huffed angrily, turned around and headed for the door. She grabbed her coat and without another word, stormed out and left him all alone, standing in the empty kitchen, reliving the echoes of each word they said.

He sighed, feeling stupider than ever. Why did he keep picking up fights with her? He barely knew her. She wasn't his friend; she was his roommate, that's all. And yet, in the short time they knew each other, he felt closer to her than anyone else he ever knew.

In the few times they managed to spend together, there were things she told him about herself that she swore she never told anyone else, not her family or even Miley, who was her best friend. He couldn't share as much about himself as she did without giving away his cover, so he pretended he was a much shier person than she was, and she seemed to be okay with that, maybe thinking she will soften him up in the end, or simply accepting that this is who he was, he wasn't really sure.

He knew the feelings he had for her had great influence on this stupid row. It was all because of them, after all. Had he not felt what he was feeling, he wouldn't have cared at all. He would have let her face the consequences of her actions on her own. He wished that he was wrong, that she would be happy and not ends up getting hurt, but on the other hand, he couldn't help but hope that she would realize her mistake and that Kevin will disappear as quickly as he came, and that she would be happy with him, instead.

Oliver's mind kept repeating the fight, his heart kept pounding hard in his chest, gripping painfully at his soul and making him regret all the harsh things he just said.

As he went to pick up the chair he knocked over, a soft knock on the door interrupted his musings. Hoping it was her, seeking some sort of an apology, he rushed over to answer it. However, he was disappointed to find it was only Jake standing in the hallway.

"I just saw –" Jake said, pointing with his thumb behind his back.

"Yeah, I know," Oliver sighed dejectedly. He took a step back, clearing the way. "Come in."

Oliver knew why he was there. He wasn't in the mood for one of Jake's lectures, but after what happened last night, he knew he had it coming.

Jake walked into the living room and dropped down on the couch. He spread his arms to the sides and put one leg on the coffee table, making himself comfortable.

"You're screening my calls again," he accused.

Oliver rolled his eyes. "My phone battery died last night. We had a power outage, so I couldn't charge it until now," he said. He pulled out his phone and went into his room to plug it into its charger. He came back and sat by Jake's side. He rubbed his eyes and threw his head back on the couch.

"So why did Lilly storm out?" Jake asked.

Oliver closed his eyes and tried to fight an upcoming headache. "We just had a little argument."

Jake chuckled. "Ooh, trouble in paradise?"

Oliver turned his head and glared at him. "Did you know she has a boyfriend?"

Jake eyes widened in surprise, making it clear to Oliver that it was news to him, as well. "Really?"

"Yeah. I met him just now. Splendid guy. Used to cheat on her," he said sarcastically.

"So, you're jealous?" Jake asked, confused.

"I'm not jealous," Oliver denied. "I'm pissed she took him back after that. She deserves someone who's better than him."

Jake eyed him carefully. "Someone like you, you mean?"

"Yes! I mean, no!" Jake began to snigger. Oliver groaned loudly and began rubbing his temples. "Oh, shut up."

Jake clapped Oliver's knee in comfort. "Well, maybe it's for the best." Oliver looked at him in question. "At least now you can let go of her and concentrate on other girls. You know, Julie told me something..."

Oliver groaned again. "Tell me you broke up with her!"

Jake wrinkled his nose. "Not quite yet."

"Are you going to ask her to marry you or something? What's so different about her? Just get it over with already!"

"Don't worry, I'll get there," Jake promised. "Now, stop changing topics. You didn't do what you were supposed to, either!"

Oliver buried his face in his hands. He hated when girls talked. Why did they have to share every intimate detail of their lives with each other? What was wrong with keeping it to themselves?

Oliver sighed. The worst thing about Jake dating Julie was not that she told him about Beth and him, but that he wanted to talk like them, girls.

Jake ignored Oliver's discomfort and went on with his rant. "You didn't sleep with her because you _respected her?_ What is that supposed to mean? Is it even true? Please tell me she just made it up."

Oliver shook his head. "No, it's true."

Jake sighed tiredly. "You do realize it's your funeral, right? It's your reputation that's at risk. I've done my part. Now Julie is positive that you're gay."

Oliver stared blankly into space. He knew exactly why he couldn't sleep with Beth. There was something, _someone_, he craved more, and his heart just couldn't let him betray that feeling. And this fight just now proved to him that his feelings would not go away anytime soon. No matter what happens now between him and Lilly, whether she hates him, stop talking to him or even kick him out of the apartment, he knew those feelings wouldn't change. What they meant, however, was still a mystery.

His mind kept replaying the past week. Joking with her, kissing her, hugging her, sleeping next to her; it was all real, he didn't imagine any of it. He felt a sexual attraction to her and wondered if she felt the same way. It wasn't just mere _feelings_ that he felt, because _feelings_ could be interpreted into physical lust, but _emotions_ were now involved, too, and _emotions_ came from the heart.

"You know what? I don't care anymore," he said in a monotonic voice.

Jake didn't even notice Oliver's conflicted face, he just went on, "...and what do you mean 'respecting her'? A girl who throws herself at you and is willing to sleep with you with no strings attached, is pure gold! You don't think, you just act!"

"I'm not like you, Jake. I could've slept with her, but I didn't want to. I'm not a one-night-stand guy. I never was. I'm pretty old-fashioned when it comes to this stuff. I want a commitment, not just a one-time thing."

Jake shook his head disapprovingly at Oliver. "At times like this, I don't even understand how we are best friends."

Oliver smirked, seeing the humor in the situation. "It's easy. We complete each other."

Jake pointed his finger at Oliver accusingly. "You see, sentences like these make people wonder about you! You don't say that to a guy if you're straight! You don't say that at all, period!"

Jake's flip-out was exactly what Oliver aimed for. Jake was so busy lecturing to Oliver that he didn't know what just went on in Oliver's mind. Oliver fought his grin and put on a serious face. "Maybe I'm not straight?"

Jake chuckled hollowly. "Maybe you aren't."

Oliver turned to look at Jake, his eyes gazing at him admiringly. "Truthfully, Jake, I always thought you're good-looking."

Jake laughed, waving him off. "Everyone does, Oliver. That doesn't make you gay."

Oliver shook his head. "I didn't tell you this, because I was afraid to get turned down. I've been thinking about it quite a lot, lately." He slowly reached for Jake's knee and rested his hand there.

Jake finally began to tense. "O...Oliver?" he asked nervously. He sat up and watched his friend warily. "What are you doing?"

Oliver slowly leaned towards his friend. He raised his hand and began softly caress Jake's cheek with the back of his fingers. Jake flinched at the strange touch. "Doesn't it feel right to you?" Oliver whispered.

Jake moved farther back into the couch, trying his best to avoid Oliver's touch. "Oliver. Oliver! Oliver, no! Stop! What about Lilly?"

Oliver closed his eyes, bowed his head slightly and shook his head slowly. He was fighting a smile now that Jake fell for the joke. "She's been a distraction. She reminded me so much of you. The blond hair, the blue eyes. She's not it. She could never be you."

Jake caught Oliver's hand and tried to remove it from his cheek. "Look, Ol, I'm really flattered, but..."

Oliver fought against Jake's grip and managed to sneak his hand to the back of his neck. He held it tight and pulled Jake towards him so that their faces were two inches apart. Oliver closed his eyes and leaned to close the space between them. Jake recoiled. "What the _fuck_, Oliver?! This isn't funny!"

"Erm... Am I interrupting something?"

They both turned around to look at the door, seeing Lilly standing there, watching them with a curious look on her face. Oliver turned back to Jake, noticing the traumatized look he held on his face, the heavy breathing he was taking and how far back into the couch he leaned into. Can't hold himself anymore, Oliver bowed his head and started cackle in laughter. He smacked his hand on Jake's neck hard. Jake immediately relaxed as he realized it was all a joke and pushed Oliver away from him.

"No," he said, still panting. "Oliver here is just being a douche."

"Hmm," Lilly hummed lightly as she hung her coat on the rack by the door. "Too bad. You two could make such a cute couple."

Oliver leaned into the other side of the couch and tried to control his laughter, fighting small tears that escaped the corners of his eyes.

"No. No, we couldn't," Jake insisted and he dusted off his fancy shirt, as though the action will accent his masculinity.

Lilly walked slowly to the living room and watched Oliver carefully. Oliver stopped laughing and returned the deep gaze. "Uhh, Jake, I need to talk to Oliver. Would you please excuse us?" she asked.

Jake stood up from the couch and rolled his shoulders. "No problem, I was going to leave anyway," he announced and shot a glare towards Oliver. "You're a bad friend!"

Oliver chuckled again. "Oh, come on, you know you would've liked it," he joked again.

Jake huffed humbly, obviously fighting the urge to respond. Oliver and Lilly watched him leave with amused looks. Once he was gone, Lilly turned to Oliver and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, averting his gaze.

"Poor Jake, he looked mortified. You should really not hit on your friends," she said, trying to open a conversation with a joke. Oliver stretched his mouth awkwardly, not knowing what to say to her. "I – I'm sorry I left like that."

She took the liberty to sit next to him. He adjusted his posture and sat upright, watching as she battled with her thoughts.

She put her hands in her lap and straightened her shoulders. "I just needed some... fresh air and a minute to think. I wasn't... I didn't –"

He shook his head and cut into her sentence. "Lilly, you don't have to explain anything to me. I get it. I was overstepping my bounds. I shouldn't have said anything. I should be the one apologizing."

She reached over and held his hand tight. "Oliver, it's alright, really. But I just need to understand why you acted like that."

He sighed and looked up at her, gazing into her eyes and wondering what he should tell her. "I guess it hurt me to know that you might get hurt by him. You did before. It just angered me. When it comes to the people I care about –"

Lilly's breath hitched and her hand gripped his even tighter. Touched by what he said, she smiled fondly at him. "You care about me?"

He realized what he said and gave her a shy smile. "Well, I'd like to consider us as friends."

Her smile grew larger. "Of course we are."

Oliver felt a slight relief wash upon him. At least now he could consider them to be friends. That's one level higher than 'just roommates' and one step closer to be something more, if they ever reach that level, of course. He'll just have to get rid of Kevin first. Not that he would ever do that; he would never split them up. He wasn't that person.

A long pause fell into the conversation, but they didn't feel uncomfortable by it. It gave them time to mull over matters. In the end, Oliver broke the silence. "I trust you would make the right choices in your life." She nodded her appreciation. "But if you ever need me to punch him, I won't ever judge or tell you 'I told you so,' I would just gladly do it."

She chuckled. "It's a deal."

She moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Oliver couldn't help but hold her and run his hands on her back and draw her even closer to him. Fighting the urge to just grab her face and kiss her, he let her go and stood up. "Let me make it up to you. How about I cook you dinner tonight? It's my way of saying I'm sorry for my shitty behavior."

She grimaced slightly. "I kinda had dinner plans with Kevin."

Oliver swallowed the bile that rose in his throat. He took a deep breath, not really believing what he was about to say. "That's even better. Tell him to come. I need to get to know him."

She bit her lower lip and fought a smile as she pretended to hesitate. "We're not going to get poisoned, are we?"

Oliver pretended to ponder it for a second. "I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see. With my cooking, no one is safe." He added a smirk and she laughed and nodded.

"Great," Oliver said, but couldn't help but think, _'I'm digging my own grave here.'_

–––

Lilly and Kevin thanked Oliver for a wonderful dinner as he retired early to bed. He made an excuse that he had to get up early for work the next day. While it was true, he was anxious to leave the room so he wouldn't have to watch Lilly and Kevin playing a lovey-dovey couple in front of him.

He had to admit, Kevin was pretty charming and he understood why Lilly found him so attractive. Not only was he good-looking, he was funny, kind and smart, as well, and Oliver hated to admit it, because he didn't find even one flaw in him so he could have a good reason to hate the guy.

Dinner had gone well. The food was tasty and the conversation flowed easily, to Oliver's surprise. They talked about all sorts of stuff, but Oliver avoided answering personal questions Kevin threw at him, and Lilly luckily changed the subject every time she sensed he was feeling uncomfortable.

It was about an hour after he fell asleep, that noises from the other room woke him up. At first, he thought it was Betty again, and he was ready to pick up his slippers and throw them at Lilly's door to keep her new pet quiet, but then he listened more closely and realized that what he was hearing were really Lilly's giggles, not Betty's squeaks.

He stilled and listened carefully, trying to make out the voices in the other room. He noted two voices, Lilly's and Kevin's. To Oliver's great disappointment, Kevin was still there. Oliver had hoped that he would leave shortly after he went to bed, because Lilly seemed tired, too, but now Oliver realized that maybe she only acted like that so they could have their privacy.

Lilly giggled again and Oliver huffed in annoyance. She had a cute giggle, but he hated hearing it when it was Kevin who made her laugh, especially when he didn't know exactly _how_ he made her laugh.

_"Please, please, please,"_ came Kevin pleading voice.

_"Shh! Oliver might hear you,"_ Lilly answered.

_"We'll be quiet."_

Lilly giggled again. _"I can't. He's in the next room." _There was a pause, in which Oliver imagined Kevin pout or something because Lilly laughed again.

Oliver was running scenarios through his mind as to what was happening in the next room. It was definitely not something he was supposed, nor wanted to hear or think about. Lilly gave a sudden joyful squeal that left little to imagination as to what they were up to. Oliver in return buried his head under his pillow, but it muffled the sounds only slightly. He groaned in frustration and turned to the only option he was left that didn't include going out there and tell them to shut up and take it elsewhere; He opened a drawer on his bedside table and pulled out his iPod. He plugged the earphones into his ears as deep as he could and chose the loudest song he had on his playlist and hit the 'play' button.

As piercing rock music filled his ears, he sighed in relief. Maybe he'd go deaf, maybe he won't be able to catch any sleep, but he didn't care. As long as he won't hear what happened in the other room, he was fine with that.

–––

**A/N:** I really wanted to go on and add another scene, but it didn't seem to fit into this chapter, and the chapter seemed to reach to an ending anyway, so I will put it in the next one.

So please let me know what you think of this chapter and if you listened to the soundtrack, you are more the welcome to comment about it as well. Love you all! :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Hannah Montana.

–––

**A/N:** Terribly sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I wasn't feeling that inspired and I when I did, I was busy with real life stuff. Hope you understand and that this chapter will make up for it. Once again, thank you all for the reviews, faves and follows! Don't forget to review this chapter as well! Enjoy! :)

–––

**Shooting Rainbows**

–––

**Chapter 9:**

It's been two whole weeks since Kevin had popped back into Lilly's life. Oliver did not expect that his suggestion of getting to know him over one measly dinner will open a Pandora Box and Kevin will enter _his_ life in addition. Oliver's quickly realized that the first impression he had on Kevin was completely off and his whole perspective on the guy changed 180 degrees.

It seemed like Kevin had become another tenant in their apartment, but one that didn't pay rent. He was always there, whenever Oliver least expected. He'd prance around the place in only his boxers, even when Lilly was away. He'd eat from the food Oliver cooked and bought, drink the milk straight from the carton and leave it empty on the counter without taking into his consideration to save some for Oliver when he was about to leave for work in the mornings, or even think to throw the empty box into the trash. The guy was a mess on two legs and Oliver couldn't stand any additional second of his presence in his home.

It was all getting on Oliver's nerves and he had enough. He knew if he won't say anything to Lilly soon, he would burst, but Lilly won't take quite well another one of his tantrums, so he decided to talk to her when he got back home from work that night, and hopefully Kevin won't be there.

"Arghhh!" Oliver growled loudly and threw his head back. The sun stroked his face pleasantly and Oliver sighed before he banged his fist hard against the small round table of the café he sat in. "I hate him. _Hate_ him!"

Jake, who sat across from him, didn't stir. He wetted his thumb and flipped a page in the magazine he was reading.

"I simply hate him. With every fiber of my being. I never hated someone so much in my whole life. And you know me; I'm not a hateful person. On the contrary –"

"Yes, Oliver, you are a lovely human being," Jake said in a monotonic voice, his gaze still focused on his magazine. "You are friendly and caring and wonderful. Are you done yet?"

Oliver shot him a glare. "Why so rude?"

Jake put down the magazine and turned to Oliver. "Well, you've been going on and on about this for the past two weeks. All I've heard was 'Kevin this' and 'Kevin that.' I'm sorry, but it's getting really annoying. Now, if you don't you have anything new to say, can we order? I'm starving and I thought you only had a fifty minutes lunch-break."

Jake didn't wait for Oliver to reply. He raised his hand and signaled for the waitress to come over. Oliver only pouted in return, knowing that Jake was right. He must have been insufferable these past two weeks, whining and grumbling every chance he had.

The waitress began to scribble Jake's order and then turned to Oliver. He closed his menu, having memorized it by heart by now. He didn't know why he did it, when he knew exactly what he was going to order, but he still did it anytime they went there. They've been having these lunch breaks more often now. Oliver just felt he needed to get away from the office, breathe some fresh air and relax in the sunlight.

"I'll have the –"

"Mushroom ravioli with no onions," the waitress completed with a nod as she scribbled on her notepad and winked at Oliver. He blushed, feeling a little embarrassed that she knew his usual order by now. Jake, who have finally ended things with Julie a week before, found her interesting, so he insisted on coming to the same place every day and sit at one of the tables she served so he could ask her out, and she declined him politely every time, which made Jake want her even more. Oliver didn't mind coming there each day. As long as he had a distraction and an opportunity to spill his heart out, he was good.

"Yeah..." Oliver said sheepishly. "Oh, and can I have a large mug of your strongest espresso?" He demonstrated the wanted mug size with his hands and the waitress quirked an eyebrow, but nodded and wrote it down nonetheless.

"I'll see if it's possible," she said.

"If not, just bring two regular doubles." She nodded again and scurried off into the front of the house before Jake could hit on her again.

Jake lowered his sunglasses as he checked her behind and smiled in contentment before he turned back to Oliver. "Still not getting any sleep?"

Oliver yawned loudly just then and shook his head. "No. Earlier I fell asleep on my desk. Luckily I woke up just before my boss walked in, but I think I had keyboard marks on my face because he looked at me funny and Julie laughed. I just don't know what to do anymore. I can't go through this one more night. I'm going insane."

"They're that loud?" Jake asked, amazed.

"I have no clue," Oliver said honestly. "I can't even take a chance to listen to them doing... _that_. It's enough to hear her giggle at every stupid joke he makes, believe me. I just sleep with music playing really loudly into my ears and you can only imagine how peaceful that sleep must be."

"That sucks," Jake grimaced. "But then again, you can't know for sure that they're sleeping together."

"Please, you'd have to be blind and not see that. He's there all the time. I wouldn't be surprised if he's there as we speak. And both Lilly and I are at work right now."

"Did you talk to her about this?"

Oliver sighed and sank in his chair. "I want to, but what am I going to say? 'Take your slob of a boyfriend out of the apartment'? She'd kick me out in a heartbeat."

"Well, not like that, obviously, but you've got to put a stop to it. Doesn't he have his own place?"

"I don't know. The guy popped up out of mid-air and refuses to disappear. There isn't a single morning where I don't find him sitting at my kitchen, eating my cereals. I'm really at lost here."

Jake leaned closer on the table. "You've got to do something, Oliver. First he takes over your girl, then your groceries, and before you know it, your apartment is also gone, because she decides she wants to live with him and you're out, living on the street."

"Or back on your couch," Oliver murmured.

"Which, by the way, you can take over whenever you'd like, even now, if you want a good night sleep. Or, well, a better one than what you get now."

Oliver smiled gratefully. "Thanks, man, I appreciate it. I might take you up on that."

They sank into a comfortable silence. A few teenagers approached Jake and asked to take a picture with him. Jake gladly consented and flashed them his brilliant white smile, making the group squeal with glee. When they left, the waitress appeared with their order. Jake eyed her flirtingly, but she simply ignored his moves. Oliver stifled a chuckle, knowing that Jake didn't take rejections well, simply because they happened rarely.

"One veggie burger with salad, and one mushroom ravioli with no onions," she said as she placed the plates on the table. She laid the drinks next, one diet Sprite for Jake and, "One large espresso," she said and handed Oliver a large mug of dark, aromatic coffee. "I took it upon myself to make sure you'd get it in a mug, since the bartender tends to be an asshole when asked to do something exceptional."

Oliver looked up at her lovely face and smiled his gratitude. "Thank you... Mary," he said, reading her nametag. He felt a bit rude that he didn't learn it until now. She served them enough times by now that he should have had.

She shrugged and hummed perkily. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to _call_ me," she said, emphasizing the word 'call' and sliding a napkin on the table towards Oliver. "Enjoy your lunch." When she didn't get Oliver's response, she blushed and quickly drifted to another table.

Jake gaped at her, at then turned to stare at Oliver. "Unbelievable."

"What?" Oliver asked distractedly as he added salt and pepper to his ravioli.

"All this time I've tried to win her over and here she is all over you. I never had a chance."

Oliver snorted, but then met Jake's serious face. "Wait... really?"

Jake looked shocked and offended at the same time. "Did you seriously not notice what happened now?" He grabbed the napkin she gave Oliver and held it high in front of his face. Oliver cheeks warmed when he noticed she had written her number on the napkin. "Am I the only conscious person sitting at this table?" Jake threw the napkin back on the table in exasperation and Oliver simply shrugged in response.

"Probably. I'm half sleepwalking," Oliver muttered and took a large gulp of his coffee. "Ah," he crowed at the scalding temperature of his drink and quickly put the mug back down to the table and began taking shallow breaths to cool his scorched tongue. "Seriously, if she liked me, she would have warned me the coffee was made on the surface of the sun," he grumbled.

Jake's eyes studied him watchfully. "You're still not over Lilly, are you? After everything that happened and all the beefy guys that walked through your apartment, you still like her."

Oliver pointed his fork at Jake. "Hey, there's only one beefy guy. And yes, it may seem like I'm a bit of a masochist, but I still think about her. It's hard not to when I see her every day, you know?" Oliver reached over to Jake's plate, but stopped his hand in mid-air when he noticed what his friend ordered. "No French fries?" he asked with disappointment and withdrew his hand.

Jake shrugged. "I'm on a healthy diet," he said with his mouth full of his veggie burger.

Oliver chuckled. "Since when?"

"Since today. I became aware we come here every day, and I always order something greasy, so I decided I needed to change it up a bit. It's actually in my contract that I can't gain too much weight."

"Poor you," Oliver said apathetically, not really meaning the words.

Jake growled. "No, poor _you_. I'm on my diet by choice. You have your troubles without asking for them and you don't even try to get rid of them."

Oliver's phone chimed and buzzed on the table. He looked at the screen and noticed a text from Lilly. He quickly read it and sighed, then turned off the screen without replying and focused back on his food.

"What does she want?" Jake said. Oliver thought it was funny how he already knew it was her just by judging Oliver's reaction.

He stirred the cream sauce in his bowl and stacked two pieces of ravioli on his fork but he didn't eat them. "She asks if I can come home early tonight, because she wants to discuss the party," he said distractedly.

Oliver finally bit into his pasta. Jake perked up and raised an eyebrow as he waited for Oliver to give him more details, but Oliver didn't notice. "What party?"

Oliver shrugged one shoulder. "She wants us to have a Halloween party at our place. We're supposed to go sometime this week and get decorations and costumes and everything."

Oliver could feel Jake's piercing stare. "Were you planning on telling me, or am I not invited?" he asked, sounding slightly hurt.

Oliver looked at him apologetically, now feeling a little guilty. "Of course you are invited, but I really don't feel like I'm up to go to a party, let alone host one in my house, especially if it means I'd get to spend more alone time with her. I honestly thought if I ignored her, she would let the idea go, but she's persistent."

"Oliver, why do you keep doing this to yourself? Look at you, you're miserable. Why don't you just move out? It would make your life much less complex and it'd be easier to get over her."

Oliver sighed heavily. The idea was almost intolerable. He wasn't sure he could do it. Well, technically, he could, even if it would break his promise to Lilly. But he needed her in his life, that's for sure, even when being away from her would hurt him just as much as being around her would. Yet, he didn't think he would be able to wake up in the morning, knowing she's not around anymore. Those past few weeks he's spent living with her changed his life for good.

Oliver shook his head. "I can't. I signed a lease for one year," he gave as an excuse.

"So you're just going to let yourself suffer for a year? Every lease has an option to get out of. Just leave her checks of two months' rent and find another tenant to replace you."

Oliver knew it was an option, but Lilly wasn't just his roommate anymore. She was his friend, as well. He didn't know how she would take his moving out, especially after such short time.

He sighed again. "We'll see."

Jake chuckled hollowly and shook his friend at him. "You _are_ a masochist."

–––

Despite wanting to stay up late at the office, Oliver finished all his work for the day and left home early. He assumed Lilly would be pleased and shower him with tons of questions and ideas for the party once he got home. He really didn't want to have this party, but she seemed excited about it and if it would make her happy then he would do it.

He was about to enter the apartment, but stopped when he heard his name. Confused, he decided to leave the door open only slightly so he could listen in. Kevin was there, again, and by the sounds of his agitated voice, it appeared that he and Lilly were having some sort of an argument.

"I just don't trust the guy," Kevin said and Oliver frowned. Were they really talking about him?

"You're overreacting, Kevin," Lilly replied. "Oliver is fine. You have nothing to worry about."

"What about the other night? I walked in to find you two canoodling on the couch."

Oliver pressed his eyes closed and his mind reeled back to that night Kevin mentioned. He and Lilly finally had their apartment Kevin-free. They had dinner and decided to watch a movie. He wasn't sure how, but they found themselves spooning on the couch. It felt so natural to hold her in his arms, that for a few minutes he forgot she was someone else's girl... until Kevin entered and burst the bubble.

Lilly laughed out at that. "We watched TV. And we weren't _canoodling_. We just... lay together. We were comfortable. We only have that one couch, you know."

"I don't care. You could have sat on either side of it. You're my girlfriend, Lilly. I don't like you getting comfortable on couches with other men."

"So it's not that you don't trust him, you just don't trust me," Lilly accused, and her voice became sharp. Oliver could picture her standing in front of Kevin with her hands on her hips and a blaring look in her eyes.

"I didn't say that –"

"Oliver is _gay_, may I remind you that. We're just friends. And as you said, I am _your_ girlfriend, but right now, I really don't want to have that title."

Kevin groaned loudly. "See what he did? Now he made us fight!"

"He didn't make us fight. You did! You and your over egoistical brain. Why can't you just accept the fact that Oliver is in my life right now? I told you about him before we decided to get back together and you were okay with that."

"That's when I thought he was really gay."

Oliver froze and gulped hard, feeling his heart begin to race in his chest. He couldn't believe Kevin saw right through his act. Sure, someone was bound to find out the truth sooner or later and Kevin was a smart guy so there's no wonder he realized the truth. Oliver always thought that with time he would tell Lilly the truth, but never expected the secret to be revealed by someone else. He knew he shouldn't have got himself into it in the first place. He shouldn't have listened to Jake; Stupid Jake and his stupid plans that always got Oliver involved into some sort of trouble.

Oliver planned to close the door and just leave. He would run away. Anywhere but here would be better right now. He really wasn't keen on Lilly throwing stuff at him for lying to her, so he'd better flee now before she'd throw him out herself.

"_What?_"

The disbelief in her tone made Oliver stop before he could turn away. He stayed for just one more moment and kept listening. They didn't know he was there, anyways, so one more minute of eavesdropping wouldn't change anything.

"He's not acting all that gay to me and I don't like the way he touches you. It's like he has some secret motive."

"You're really losing it now," Lilly said dismissively.

Hope quickly filled Oliver's heart. Maybe Lilly won't believe Kevin, after all.

"Am I? Have you ever seen him with a guy before?"

"No, but I haven't seen him with a woman before, either. And you know why? Because Oliver is a very private person and it's none of my business whoever he dates. For all I know, he's single at the moment."

Kevin let out a low chuckle. The sound of his mocking voice made Oliver feel even more loathing for the guy. "Good. Then how about we set him up with someone?"

Before Oliver could fathom what he just heard, his phone went off, blasting its horrible ringtone through the empty corridor.

"Shit," Oliver muttered and quickly fumbled his pockets in an attempt to silence the damn thing at once before he'd be found.

"What's that?" came Kevin's voice from within the apartment.

Oliver quickly pushed the volume button on his phone and the ringtone stopped playing. He quickly looked at the screen, noting Jake's name flashing at him before the call ended and a message of one missed call appeared. Oliver silently cursed Jake for his bad timing. Acting quickly, he pressed the phone to his ear and pushed the door open, pretending as though he just arrived.

"Yeah, just got home," he said, trying to sound convincing as though he was having a real conversation with someone. As he hung his coat and took off his shoes, he eyed Kevin and Lilly and nodded his greeting. He noticed they were standing in the living room, watching him. Kevin sighed heavily and Lilly rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's rude behavior, but she quickly replace her annoyance with a sweet smile at Oliver. "Listen, I'll talk to you later. Okay. Bye." Oliver pretended to hang up his phone, secretly eager to end the show before he'd receive a real call and get caught for lying.

"Hey, Oliver," Lilly greeted.

"Hey. What's up?" he asked. He looked carefully at Kevin, trying to decipher the frown that he had on his face. He hoped Kevin didn't realize he'd been listening to their conversation outside.

"Nothing," Kevin replied dismissively. He shot Oliver a dirty look before he turned back to Lilly. "I'll see you tomorrow." He leaned over to kiss her, but she set her jaw and turned her head to the side and his lips met her cheek instead. Oliver noticed the cold glare she gave him.

Kevin's cheek reddened, probably with annoyance rather than embarrassment. He pushed past Oliver and left, not sparing him a glace.

Oliver stared at him and watched as he shut the door hard. He looked back at Lilly with a puzzled look. "I hope he didn't leave on my account."

Lilly shook her head. "Don't mind him. He's just having an off day."

"He's not staying here tonight?" he asked, trying not to sound too interested.

"Guess not," she said bitterly.

Oliver was delighted. Finally, after weeks of insomnia, he'd be able to sleep peacefully.

Lilly sat on the couch and sipped from a glass of red wine. Oliver noticed there was another empty glass on the table and thought that what was supposed to be a romantic evening for them, turned into something different. He couldn't help but feel slightly pleased.

He sat next to her and studied her for a moment. "Are you alright, Lilly?"

She set her glass back to the table and turned to him. "You still don't like him, don't you?" she asked, ignoring his question.

Oliver's mouth fell open, surprised at her accusation. "I... Umm..." He suddenly felt a large lump form in his throat and he gulped hard. "I... didn't say that..." he said weakly.

She shook her head and sipped more wine. "You didn't have to. I can see you aren't thrilled on having him around."

Oliver knew it was pointless to deny it now. "Well," he started, considering his words carefully. He didn't want to upset her again. She seemed a bit sensitive of the topic the last time they discussed it. "He has been spending an awful amount of time here."

It took him by surprise that she did not pout, huff or yelled at him. She simply chuckled hollowly. Oliver raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she said. "I'm sorry. I should've asked you before if you'd be okay with him being here."

"I don't mind him being here. He's your boyfriend, after all," Oliver said and it literally pained him to say the words aloud. Saying them meant accepting it was real. "It's just that I didn't expect him to be here all the time. He's here even when you're not around. It's just... weird."

"Oh." She seemed to be thinking about it for a few moments. "You're right. I'll talk to him about it."

"If it's a problem –"

"It's not, honestly," she said and she sounded sincere. "You're not supposed to feel uncomfortable in your own home. I should've seen it from your point of view." Slowly, she furrowed her eyebrows at him. "Saying this isn't your way of marking your territory, right?"

Oliver stared at her wide-eyed and couldn't help but laugh. "Excuse me?" Did she just refer to him as a dog?

She reached out and patted his bicep gently. Oliver's eyes followed her hand as it touched him and then looked at her doubtfully. She blushed and moved her hand to her lap. "I meant this isn't some sort of a male-domination thing, right? Because you know this is your apartment and Kevin is not going to take your place here, not matter how much time he spends here, or what part he's playing in my life. I like living with _you_."

Oliver smiled and nodded, feeling a great wave of relief wash upon him after she said that. Since Jake mentioned it earlier at lunch, the issue truly bothered him, and he was glad Lilly clarified to him that she's not going to kick him out so she could live with Kevin instead.

"Anyway, don't rule him out so quickly, okay? He's a really nice guy once you get on his good side. I guess he's sensing you don't like him and he's acting defensively about it, so he might come off as a jerk, but he's not, I swear."

Oliver fought a grimace, knowing he will never get on Kevin's good side, not that he'd try. Kevin obviously didn't like him and found him suspicious and for good reason, too.

"Why do you care what I think?" he asked her.

Lilly smiled at him. "Because you're both important to me and I'd like you to get along."

Oliver knew he didn't try hard enough to get to know Kevin. He only hated him for one reason – because he was jealous of him. Kevin had the only thing Oliver wanted and couldn't have. Despite whatever he thought about him, he knew that if Lilly found him loveable, there must be something good in him, or else she wouldn't be with him. He wanted to believe she was a smart girl who knew what she was doing, but he couldn't shake away the feeling that Kevin should not be trusted.

Oliver nodded, silently agreeing to give Kevin a second chance, but inwardly, he promised himself he would keep an eye on him. He wouldn't want Lilly to end up miserable because of one lying bastard.

"So how was your day?" she asked, changing the subject and breaking his stream of thoughts.

"Fine," Oliver replied with a shrug. Truthfully, it was anything but 'fine'. He'd barely functioned today and was glad to finally be home. It was only six o'clock, but the thought of getting to bed and sleep until morning never been more appealing.

She took one more gulp from her wine and turned to him. "Who was that on the phone earlier?" she asked incidentally.

Oliver gulped, trying to think of a lie quickly. "Uh... Just a friend," he said in fake nonchalantly, even though he was sweating rather intensively.

"Jake?" She watched him closely with one eyebrow raised. Even her tone sounded interested for some reason.

"Uh, no," Oliver answered quickly and silently cursed himself for it. Saying it was Jake would have been a much easier answer. After all, it was Jake who called him. Oliver shut his fists so tight until his nails began to hurt his skin. He knew he'd have to play along to the lie.

"Huh," she huffed and straightened her back. "Say, Oliver, you don't see anyone right now by any chance, do you?" She stared at the blank TV screen, avoiding meeting his gaze, as though she was embarrassed for asking.

Oliver gulped nervously, quickly remembering the last thing he heard Kevin said before his phone went off in the hallway.

"No..." Oliver said slowly, feeling a little apprehensive at what was about to come next. "Why?"

She laughed lightly. "No reason. Just trying to get to know you better. It'd be fun, though, if you were dating someone and we could all go on a double date."

Oliver faked a laugh but internally felt a small pang in his heart. He didn't know how she could go from being pissed at him one moment to a loving girlfriend the next.

"I like being on my own," he lied, knowing exactly where she was going with this.

"Nonsense. No one likes to be alone."

"Well, let's just say I had bad experiences in the past that left me quite traumatized. I'm not sure I'm ready to put myself out there quite yet," he said, hoping that will make her drop the subject.

Luckily, it did. "Alright," she said and finished her glass of wine. "You want some?" she asked, pointing at the other glass.

"No, thanks. I think I'll just go rest for a bit," he said, standing up.

Her eyes widened and followed him. "Rest? I thought we were going to plan the party."

Oliver sighed. He was really looking forward to get to bed. "Halloween is next Saturday. We have plenty of time to plan."

"That's just the thing. We don't. I'm leaving for the rest of the week tomorrow night."

Oliver frowned. "Where are you going?"

"New York. Hannah has a few concerts and interviews there."

"Oh."

Lilly sighed and her eyes reflected disappointment. "Never mind. I can see you're not into it."

"No, no. I am," he quickly said, sitting back down next to her and her eyes sparkled with hope. "Come on, what did you have in mind?"

"You don't have to –"

He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him. "I _want_ to help."

She grinned and hopped right to the point. Oliver felt a little cheated, but dismissed it. _'As long as it made her happy,'_ he reminded himself. "Well, I was thinking of something subtle. Just a few cobwebs in the corners, some pumpkin lanterns scattered around, bats hanging from the ceiling."

Oliver nodded. "Sounds fine. So no fake skeletons behind doors or bloody heads in the punch bowl?" He smirked.

Lilly laughed. "Let's stick to the less horrid decorations."

"Alright. Music?"

"Nothing Halloween-themed. Something rhythmic that will make people dance."

"And how many people are we inviting?" Oliver asked. He looked around their small apartment space. "I don't think we have room for a lot."

"I was thinking on inviting around twenty people, just close friends, you know. Who would you like to invite?"

"Well, there's Jake. I hope it won't be a problem with your friend Miley. I gathered they have a bit of history between them."

She shook her head. "It won't a problem. She's not coming. She's got other plans already."

Oliver nodded. "Good, so no awkward moments there. Maybe I'll call up a few friends, but they probably won't come. I don't know many people, as there is."

"What about people from your office?"

Oliver wrinkled his nose and shook his head. The thought of inviting his boss, or worst – Julie, made him shudder. He would invite her out of courtesy, even when he didn't want her there, and she would come, no doubt, since she liked to party and basically annoy him, but she won't show up alone. She would probably drag Bethany along with her, and Oliver could never risk Lilly meeting them. They might spill what happened between him and Beth and Lilly can't find out he went out with a woman when he was supposed to be gay.

Lilly nodded her understanding. "And your... _friend_?" she asked, her voice held a suggestive tone to it that Oliver didn't like.

He quickly shook his head. "An out-of-town friend, so I really doubt it," Oliver clarified, burying himself even dipper in the lie. But it did the work, because Lilly pouted and let it go.

"And what are you going as?"

Oliver scratched his head. "I don't know. I really suck at this."

"Do you want me to help you choose?" she offered kindly.

Oliver thought it was a good idea, since he was really terrible at costume ideas. "But you have to tell me first."

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Fine, but you can't be too picky."

"Well, that depends on what you have in mind. Nothing feminine and nothing shirtless."

Lilly crossed her hands over her chest. "You're not a fun gay, you know that?"

He shot her a warning glare. "Lilly, I'm serious."

She threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine. I'll think of something." Yet, a smirk suddenly spread on her lips and he was beginning to worry for what she planned for him.

He clapped his hands once and smiled. "So I think we covered just about everything."

Lilly smiled and nodded. "See? It wasn't so hard."

Oliver had to agree. "I'm sorry about before. I just... I haven't had much sleep lately. I can't really think straight."

Lilly snorted. Oliver chuckled at her cute laugh. "What?" he asked.

She fought her laugh. "I'm sorry. It's the wine, I swear. But just hearing you say you can't think straight is ironic with you being gay and all."

It took a minute for Oliver to understand what she talked about, but when he did, a wide smile spread on his lips and he laughed along with her.

She pushed herself from the couch and took the wine glasses to the kitchen. "I'll call people tomorrow to let them know about it before they'll make other plans."

"Good," Oliver said, standing up. "I'll do the same, but don't expect to see a lot of people from my side," he said and chuckled awkwardly. He walked slowly to the kitchen and stood behind her, watching as she washed the wine glasses in the sink. "What time are you leaving?"

She turned her head and looked at him over her shoulder. "We have a red-eye flight at ten, but I'm leaving around seven."

"Oh," Oliver said. He shoved his hands into his trousers' pockets and stood awkwardly in place.

She finished washing the dishes and turned fully around to look at him as she dried her hands in a towel. "Will you be here? I'd like to say goodbye before I leave."

"Of course," Oliver said with a nod. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and walked over to her. "A week, huh?" he asked, his voice holding a dejected tone in it.

She nodded. "I'll be back before you know it," she said and added a wink. He gave her a small smile and looked deep into her blue eyes. She returned the gaze and he gave a small involuntary gasp at the intensity of it. His hands slowly reached hers and he pulled her close until they wrapped around her small back and hers around his neck.

He shut his eyes tight as he savored the warmth of her body. "Why does it feel like you'd be gone longer?" he asked, unable to control the words from spilling out. She buried her head in the crook of his neck and they slowly began to rock from side to side, lost in the embrace. Oliver was sure that if Kevin walked in right then, he would beat the hell out of him. But he didn't care because for once, Kevin was not around and Oliver was free to enjoy the moment. "I'll miss you," he said honestly, his voice barely a whisper.

"Me too," she murmured back.

They sank into a comfortable silence and Oliver knew he could stay like this forever, but to his great disappointment, she pulled back from the hug and the moment was broken. She had a slight frown on her face, her eyes looked clouded and she stared into space. She looked as if she was suddenly struck by reality and without expecting it.

A minute later, she blinked and forced on a smile. "I'm not sure if I'll have time to call you. I'll try, but usually these things are really time-consuming and I barely find spare time."

He nodded his understanding. "No worries. It's your job. I get it that you'd be busy."

"Try to take care of a few for the party, alright?" she asked.

"Sure," he nodded again.

"And we'll go pick costumes when I get back," she promised.

"Deal."

They exchanged one more look. She moved her hand, as though to grab his, but stopped and pulled it back. "I'm going to lie down for a bit. The wine gave me a headache. You're going to sleep now?"

Oliver answered with a yawn. "Yeah," he said.

They each headed for their own room. Oliver stopped at the door and looked back and saw she did the same. "Goodnight," they both said and disappeared behind the door.

–––

**A/N:** I like the many conflicts in this chapter and I especially like the ending. I didn't plan on writing it. It just came to me and it fit perfectly because the lack of Loliver in this chapter. I hope you liked it as well. :) Please REVIEW this chapter. I'd like to read your opinions and thoughts. Do it and I'll post the next one as soon as possible. I'm already working on it. Thanks a bunch! :)


End file.
